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Fate of artificially supported Snail Kite Rostrhamus sociabilis nests in central Florida, U.S.A.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2010

James A. Rodgers Jr.
James A. Rodgers Jr.
Affiliation:
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, 4005 South Main Street, Gainesville, Florida 32601, U.S.A.
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Summary

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Twenty Florida Snail Kite Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus nests in imminent danger of collapsing at four lakes in central Florida, U.S.A. during 1987-1993 were stabilized or artificially supported. Most nests (n=17, 85.0%) were in either cattail Typha spp. or bulrush Scirpus validus. Nine supported nests (45.0%) successfully fledged young; the remaining nests were either abandoned (n=8, 40.0%) or ultimately collapsed (n=3, 15.0%). The overall rate of 0.75 fledgling per nest for supported nests was similar to the 0.79 fledgling per nest for unaltered nests. If the 160 nests that collapsed during the study had been supported, 72 nests saved from collapsing could have produced an additional 54 fledgling kites. Nest support may be effective where kite populations are low or during drought conditions.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , March 1998 , pp. 53 - 57
Copyright
Copyright © Birdlife International 1998

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