Breeding and diet of White-tailed Kites (Elanus leucurus) in the Texas panhandle
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Abstract
White-tailed Kites (Elanus leucurus) are grassland raptors that typically breed along coastal regions, particularly in California, southeastern Texas, and southern Florida. This species is irregular in the Texas panhandle, with few confirmed breeding and sighting records. We describe the first breeding record in Lubbock County, Texas, in which a pair of adults successfully raised 2 young in 2017 and may have returned and nested in 2018. Evaluation of cast pellets suggested dietary composition primarily consisted of diurnal rodents. Additionally, we compiled published and unpublished sighting and breeding records for the region and discovered reports for 2 nearby counties (Crosby and Kent counties, Texas) where White-tailed Kites have nested over multiple years, as well as several more counties with sighting records. Our data indicate that the southern extent of the Texas panhandle is now part of the species' breeding or “rare” range.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Breeding and diet of White-tailed Kites (Elanus leucurus) in the Texas panhandle |
| Series title | Wilson Journal of Ornithology |
| DOI | 10.1676/1559-4491-131.4.844 |
| Volume | 131 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Year Published | 2020 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wilson Ornithological Society |
| Contributing office(s) | Coop Res Unit Atlanta |
| Description | 6 p. |
| First page | 844 |
| Last page | 849 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |