The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 123(1 ):97—101, 2011 
REPRODUCTIVE STATUS OF SWALLOW-TAILED KITES IN EAST- 
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 
SCOTT J. CHIAVACCI, 1 - 3 ' 6 TROY J. BADER, 1 - 4 AMY M. ST. PIERRE. 1 - 5 
JAMES C. BEDNARZ, 1 AND KAREN L. ROWE 2 
ABSTRACT.—The Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) formerly bred in Arkansas, but no nesting attempts were 
observed in the state for over a century. We initiated a study in 2001 to investigate the species’ reproductive status in east- 
central Arkansas, USA. We located five nests between 2001 and 2009, all of which failed. Two nests were abandoned (one 
due to researcher caused disturbance), one failure was likely caused by a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus ) or Barred 
Owl (Strix varia), one was suspected to be caused by a rat snake ( Elaphe obsolete), and one failed from unknown causes. 
Nests were built in overcup ( Quercus lyrata) and Nuttall oaks (Q. texana) with a mean (± SD) diameter at breast height of 
83.92 ± 7.20 cm, mean tree height of 31.28 ± 4.78 m, and mean projection of 7.15 ± 5.66 m above surrounding trees. 
Nests were at a mean height of 25.09 ± 4.85 m and positioned 0.30 ± 2.36 m above the surrounding trees. All nests were 
within a circular area 4 km in diameter. Our discovery of a nest in 2002 represented the first documented case of nesting 
Swallow-tailed Kites in Arkansas in >100 years and is a considerable (370 km) distance from the closest known nesting 
site in Louisiana. Received 3 May 2010. Accepted 11 October 2010. 
The Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus ) 
formerly bred in at least 16 states from Florida 
and the Southeast Coastal Plain west to central 
Texas and north through the Mississippi and Ohio 
river drainages to Minnesota (Meyer and Collopy 
1995). The population experienced a drastic 
reduction in numbers around the turn of the I9 lh 
century (Cely 1979) and now breeds in portions of 
only seven southeastern states (Meyer 2004a). 
Loss of suitable habitat following destruction of 
bottomland hardwood forests (Twedt and Loesch 
1999), agricultural development, and shooting 
were likely the primary reasons for the wide¬ 
spread decline (Cely 1979, Meyer 1995, Meyer 
and Collopy 1995). Observations of Swallow- 
tailed Kites increased in former breeding areas in 
the 1940s (Cely 1979), suggesting small scale 
^occupation of historical range (Brown et al. 
1997). However, reasons for this kite’s inability to 
lully reoccupy its former range mostly remain 
unknown (Meyer and Collopy 1995). 
Swallow-tailed Kites were considered relatively 
abundant in Arkansas lowlands at the end of the 
19 century, but became rare by 1910 with the last 
Department of Biological Sciences, P. O. Box 599, 
Kansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA. 
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 31 Hallowell 
La ne, Humphrey, AR 72073, USA. 
Current address: Illinois Natural History Survey, 1816 
^ h °ak Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA. 
Current address: USDA-ARS, Stuttgart National Aqua- 
^hure Research Center, P. O. Box 1050, Stuttgart, AR 
721 60, USA. 
^Current address: P. O. Box 27, Kelly, WY 83011, USA. 
Corresponding author; e-mail: schiavacci@gmail.com 
known nesting attempt occurring in 1890 (Howell 
1911). A sighting of a single kite occurred in north¬ 
west Arkansas in October 1913 (Smith 1915), and 
from 1915 to 1986, only two secondhand accounts 
of kites were reported; one in 1935 and a pair of 
kites observed on 10 July 1949 (Baerg 1951). A 
subsequent lack of repoits suggests the species 
may have been extiipated from Arkansas in the 
late 1940s (James and Neal 1986). Four sporadic 
observations of Swallow-tailed Kites during mi¬ 
gration occurred between 1986 and 1997, but it 
was not until 1998 that a pair was observed during 
the breeding season. Observations in 1998 oc¬ 
curred in the White River National Wildlife 
Refuge (WRNWR) and, based on these reports, 
we initiated a study to investigate the breeding 
status of Swallow-tailed Kites in the refuge. Our 
objectives were to: (1) document Swallow-tailed 
Kites present during the breeding season in the 
White River National Wildlife Refuge and (2) 
locate, monitor, and record nesting attempts. 
METHODS 
Study Area .—The White River National Wild¬ 
life Refuge, in east-central Arkansas (34° 22' N to 
34° 39' N, 90° 59' W to 91° 22' W) comprises 
—64,700 ha and is one of the largest remnants of 
contiguous bottomland hardwood forest in the 
Mississippi Alluvial Valley. It consists primarily 
of bottomland hardwood forest with small sec¬ 
tions of upland hardwood forest, scattered fallow 
and agricultural fields, 356 natural and man-made 
lakes, >140 km of the White River, and a large 
number of bayous and sloughs. Dominant tree 
species include overcup oak (Quercus lyrata ), 
97 
