ARCI was awarded funds to capture, tag, and track a Swallow-tailed Kite from Sanibel, Florida from the Sanibel Captiva Audubon Society. A successful capture attempt was made with assistance by members of the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) in late May 2025.
A feather sample taken from the adult that was captured was sent to a lab for DNA sampling, revealing that it was a male, now known as Periwinkle. Periwinkle was in great condition, with little feather wear or molt and little to no external parasites noted. He had a broken outer right tail feather, noted prior to capture, helping identify him in flight as the kite with a short-sided right tail. Banding and tagging went quickly and within 30 minutes he was set aloft at the capture location.
Periwinkle and his mate successfully fledged one chick from their moss and lichen-laden nest in a tall Australian Pine tree. The kite has continued to peruse Sanibel Island, foraging and roosting within the wild areas of SCCF and J.N “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge protected lands. Recently he has gone 20 miles east to the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, indicating how important quiet, wild, and protected lands are for these birds to feed and rest.
Soon we will be watching Periwinkle and all the GPS-tracked Swallow-tailed Kites prepare and set off for their south bound trek to South America. Kites are gathering in pre-migratory foraging aggregations and roost sites to fuel up and rest for the long and potentially dangerous trip ahead.
The 2025 Swallow-tailed Kite population monitoring survey period is during the months of July and August. We hope you will report where you are seeing kites to add “your” kites to the U.S. population count. That form can be found here.
Thanks to Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society for making this tracking project possible and special recognition to the help from SCCF’s Audrey Albrecht, Sammantha Hinsz, and intern Chelsea Total for assisting ARCI’s Gina Kent and Gianna Arcuri in the tagging effort.
*Swallow-tailed Kites are captured, banded, and tagged under all current federal, state and local banding permits.
ARCI’s Gina Kent snaps a quick photo of tagging crew. Left to right SCCF’s Sammantha Hinsz with hooded Swallow-tailed Kite prior to release, Audrey Albrecht, and Chelsea Total in front. ARCI’s Gianna Arcuri in the back and kite observer Kevin H. on the right.
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