ARCI installed small video cameras at nine Swallow-tailed Kite nests in Florida and Georgia when nestlings were old enough to be briefly unattended.
The goal was to determine feeding rates, prey species and causes of nest failures.
The results of this study helped shape management actions to reduce nesting failures and increase productivity.
Nest cameras, which can cause breeding failures and bird deaths, should be used only by experienced biologists when benefits clearly outweigh the risks.
