A landmark project from Green Adelaide has seen satellite trackers placed on two Square-tailed Kites for the first time in a bid to shed light on the rare birds of prey.
The pair of young female Kites nicknamed Betty and Goldie were fitted with the trackers for scientists to keep track and understand their movements to determine the habitat activities that could support local birds of prey into the future.
Ecologist for Green Adelaide, Jason van Weenen said that as part of Green Adelaide’s rewilding efforts, the project was aimed at better understanding the characteristics of foraging habitats for the birds.
“Given the rarity of square-tailed Kites in South Australia, this project will help build our knowledge of local critical habitat for the species,” Mr van Weenen said.
“Square-tailed kites are known to prefer forest and woodland areas, and satellite tracking will provide useful information on the amount and type of preferred habitat of the birds,” he said.
“As higher order predators, the presence of square-tailed kites is a great indication of a healthy ecosystem.”
Mr van Weenen said the tracking project involved extensive planning and monitoring of juvenile breeding pairs from volunteers and experts to ensure satellite trackers were fitted at the right time to trace the birds’ movements once they leave their nests.
He said the project was already providing valuable insights about these birds of prey.
“The birds did spend lots of time around their nesting area after first flying, honing their skills to become independent,” Mr van Weenen said.
“Goldie was the first to leave the nest, followed by Betty, who left two weeks later,” he said
“The satellite data we’re receiving is building a picture of the sort of distances the young birds are travelling.
“The data will help take some of the guesswork out of where these birds spend their time through autumn and winter when they disappear from the greater Adelaide area,”
Green Adelaide said the project paved the way for more trackers to be placed on the juvenile birds during the next breeding season from August to understand how habitat protection and enhancement could support the rare species.
It said it was leading the project to learn more about Square-tailed Kites, with support from raptor experts, ornithologists, volunteer observers, the Department for Environment and Water, Birds SA and local landholders.
