Notes on Letter-winged Kites Breeding in Western Queensland, 1972-1983

Abstract

Letter-winged Kites Elanus scriptus were studied in western Queensland from 1972 to 1983, and the trends in their distribution and population level closely paralleled those of the rats on which they preyed. The Kite population peaked in 1975 and then declined, but a few Kites remained and resumed breeding after many of them had left the inland and irrupted into coastal regions in 1977. The Kites appeared to breed continuously while the rat plague lasted, and they hunted the rats at night. Data on nest site and construction, nesting habits and clutch and brood sizes were obtained.