April 11, 2022 Snail Kites of Brazil, Dr Alex Jahn

Hundreds of birds migrate within South America, yet we understand relatively little about their seasonal movements. Dr. Jahn and his colleagues used satellite transmitters to study the movement ecology of 10 Snail Kites captured in southern Brazil, tracking them over two years. Comparing them to the Everglades Snail Kites is fascinating.
Some kites migrated 4000 km to spend the non-breeding season at the mouth of the Amazon River, whereas others exhibited nomadic movements, moving different distances and to different sites between seasons and years. The complex movements and variable migratory behavior they detected points to the need for more detailed research on the ecology and risks to survival of this poorly studied species in South America.