Monitor a Swallow-tailed Kite nest!
Assist with Avian Research and Conservation Institute’s nest monitoring program for Swallow-tailed Kites (and Short-tailed Hawks) by joining “Eyes on Kites”.
ARCI has monitored nesting Swallow-tailed Kites since 1988. Archiving specific nest locations and their fates is truly valuable for this charismatic species, which has experienced large variations in population size and distribution over the century. We can determine the protective status and potential threats to each nest site or neighborhood of nests and advise landowners, whether private, public, or commercial, on how best to protect them. We also can identify areas where productivity is particularly high or low and, over time, relate this to factors such as site fidelity, longevity, abandonment, predation and disturbance risks, and habitat integrity through long-term monitoring.
Swallow-tailed Kites are arriving back to Florida each day and now is the time to find nesting activity. We hope you will consider monitoring Swallow-tailed Kite nests with us. Your observations are helpful for our monitoring program and nest-site database. You are our eyes in the field!
If you suspect nesting activity and cannot see the actual nest, you can still participate because this data is just as useful for this research.
Information on finding and safely monitoring kite nests can be found here:
Signing up for the 2026 nest season is easy and free, and you can use your log in from previous years or join here:
Once you sign up you will have access to the submission form for registering a nest:
And nest checks:
We are ready for an exciting and productive nesting season!
With gratitude,
The ARCI team
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