Swallow-tailed Kites 
187 
( Quercus nigra), sweet gum ( Liquidambar styraciflua), loblolly-bay 
( Gordonia lasianthus ), cabbage palm, Florida elm ( Ulmus floridana), 
and longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris). Shrubs and vines are prominent, 
and herbaceous vegetation is sparse. These two communities in many 
cases extend for several kilometers from the river’s edge. 
METHODS 
Individual kites and flocks of soaring kites were photographed. 
We studied these images for molt sequence. Small images were 
enlarged so that feather details of individual birds were obvious. 
Some individuals may have been photographed several times, but 
the photographs were taken at a number of locations over a 7-day 
period, so it is clear that most images represent different individu- 
als. The photographs are catalogued in the North Carolina State 
Museum of Natural Sciences’ collection of bird photographs. 
We collected specimens with a 12-gauge shotgun while birds 
were in flight. Gizzards were preserved in 25% formaldehyde and 
were later examined for prey items. Three specimens were frozen 
and were later thawed for analysis of mercury loads in muscle, 
liver, and kidney tissues as per methods outlined by Stoneburner 
and Harrison (1981). The specimens are in the collection of the 
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences (NCSM). 
We examined 75 study skins in major North American 
collections for additional information on age and molt. Data 
from museum collections allowed us to illustrate the documented 
egg dates for the species in Florida. Information on vagrants found 
north of their current breeding area was compiled from various 
sources, but data are from dates after extirpation of the species 
from the northern portion of their range. 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
Because swamp forests such as those bordering the St. Johns 
River appear to be the preferred habitats for these kites, and the 
habitat is duplicated throughout much of central Florida, it seems 
likely that we were observing local resident birds. Along the same 
lines, examination of stomach contents (see below) did not indicate 
that birds were converging from great distances to opportunis- 
tically feed on some locally abundant prey species. 
Apparently this area has been used by nesting swallow-tailed 
kites for a long time; there are 12 egg collections from San Marito, 
Putnam County from between 1887 and 1895 in various North 
American museums. 
Density and age ratios — On the 7 days of our field study, 
200-250 swallow-tailed kites were seen along a 252-km stretch of 
