Breeding Biology and Diet of the Square-tailed Kite on the Mid-north Coast of New South Wales

The breeding cycle of a pair of Square-tailed Kites Lophoictinia isura was observed for 155 hover 113 days , from nest-building to post-fledging , from late July to early December 2003 at Port Macquarie, northern coastal New South Wales. Both sexes shared incubation and also brought food to the incubating mate; the male incubated on at least one night. Incubation l a sted an estimated 40 days, and the nestling period 52 days although fledging may have been slightly premature . Parental behaviour during each phase of the cycle, and growth of the nestling , are described. Parental food-delivery rates to the nest increased from 0 . 1 item / h in the pr e -laying phase to 0.3 item / h during incubation and 0.4 item / h in the nestling phase , then dropped to 0.2 item / h in the post-fledging period. By number (n = 66) , the breeding diet consist e d of 76 % birds (84 % of which were nestlings), 2 % lizard , and 23 % unidentified though probably nestlings. Inclusion of data from four other pairs monitored in the district , 1997 - 2002 , g a ve a nesting density of about 13 km between neighbouring pairs or approximately one pair p e r 170 km 2 , and a fledging rate of 0.7 young per attempt.