Wonder what you can do to help? One easy thing I have found is to write my US house Rep. I have sampled colors from images of actual Texas Threatened Species and created original art inspired by each group. 5% of the profits from this series enthusiastically goes to help Threatened & Endangered Species. There are 148 Threatened Species & 74 Threatened Species in Texas. Shop this art HERE OR gift to theThreatened Texas Series: Venmo (Your patronage donation helps spread the word about Texas' Endangered & Threatened Species). This is the zone where saltwater pushes upstream in a wedge under the freshwater flowing out to sea." As sea levels rise, ocean tides push the “salt wedge” farther inland. Since the 1700s, about half the nation’s wetlands have disappeared, threatened by agriculture, logging, dams, dredging and invasive species, as well as natural disturbances like hurricanes.Ī new peril also looms: salinity intrusion linked to climate change. Cypress swamps and other freshwater forested wetlands where the birds nest have been dwindling for centuries. Nor did anyone know how many birds remained or where exactly they flew when they migrated south. By 1940, the kite’s range had shrunk to seven states, from South Carolina to Texas-and the reason was unclear. Then the population underwent a sudden decline. Records from the 1800s show nesting pairs as far up the Mississippi Valley as Minnesota and Wisconsin. Swallow-tailed kites once nested in 21 states. Scientists estimate that the swallow-tailed kite only inhabits about five percent of its historic range. They snatch these animals from trees and other plants while in flight, and carry them in their feet."Īccording to the Nature Conservancy, "Kites need at least 100,000 acres of contiguous forest to maintain healthy populations. "Though adult Swallow-tailed Kites eat mostly flying insects, they feed their young with many types of small vertebrates - including tree frogs, lizards, nestling birds, and snakes. These birds soar all day, and eat on the wing. Arnold, Ornithologist, Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M University Given the continuing expansion of these kites in Texas, their future looks bright." Whether in migration or foraging in family groups, these graceful aerial flyers are often chasing their flying insect prey. Migrants begin arriving in early March, while these birds leave for their winter homes beginning in early August. Since then, these birds have reoccupied much of their former range. In the 1970s, an active nest was discovered in southeast Texas. No explanation has been accepted for the contract of the northern breeding areas, but human activity and habitat loss seem likely. These birds were extirpated in the early 20 th century from the Gulf coastal plains and from the western Mississippi river forests. "The American Swallow-tailed Kite ranges throughout much of South America through Middle America into southeastern United and western Mississippi river valley. © Juliet Whitsett |Social: PALETTE SAMPLED FROM IMAGES OF THE SWALLOW-TAILED KITE: One of the most stunning migratory (South America) raptors, the Swallow-tailed Kite is an incredibly acrobatic predator. It was originally banded in Kansas in 1984.5% of profits support Endangered & Threatened Species. The oldest Mississippi Kite on record was at least 11 years, 2 months old when it was found in Texas in 1995.The pair usually accepts the help, but sometimes chases the yearling away. A 1-year-old kite will often hang around the nest of a breeding pair and may help with defending the nest, incubating the eggs, or even brooding the chicks.Smaller bird species-such as Northern Mockingbirds, Blue Jays, and House Sparrows-may nest near or on kite nests, usually coexisting peacefully with the kites. The kite’s nest may be located next to (or even contain) a wasp nest, which probably helps protect the chicks against climbing predators.At 25-30 days of age they start moving from the nest to nearby tree limbs and back, and they leap into flight several days later. They are also commonly found across the Southern States such as. Nestlings preen each other, arrange nesting material together, and show very little aggression toward their siblings-unusual traits for raptor chicks. Mississippi Kites are small, slender raptors most abundant in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.When they nest in city parks and golf courses it can be problematic since the kites tend to dive-bomb people who come too close to their nests. Mississippi Kites have increased in the western part of their range thanks to recent changes in the landscape, such as shelterbelts planted by farmers and ranchers.Eastern birds are less abundant, breed in old-growth forest, and are less likely to nest in colonies. Western birds usually nest colonially in small woodlands on the prairie, where they can be locally abundant. Mississippi Kites in the Southeast lead a different life from kites in prairie states to the west.
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