occasions groups of from three to 20 individuals were seen in
open terrain as much as four or five miles from the Park.

Breeding Cycle

Probably kites arriving from their northward migration are already
paired. In those observed at the Park in the first week of June, there
was no indication of courtship, or of sexual rivalry. On June 1, 1961,
incubation had begun. The birds had arrived some three weeks earlier,
according to Smith. Although arriving from the south long after most
raptors have begun their nesting, the kites are not further delayed by
establishment of territories and choosing of mates, and nesting is
underway soon after their arrival. According to Sutton (1939:45) the
nest-building is an exceedingly leisurely process. In the first two
weeks after their arrival he observed that the kites only occasionally
bring a twig to the nest, usually repairing last year's structure
rather than starting a new one. Sutton recorded egg-laying on May 17
and 18 and hatching on June 18 in northwestern Oklahoma, and the
timing of these events must be similar in Meade County, Kansas.

Shortly before sunset on June 1 a pair was observed at close range
from a parked automobile as the kites perched on roadside fence posts
about 50 feet apart at the Park boundary. At this time the birds
lacked their usual restlessness and were perching quietly, neither
preening nor attempting to find prey. With no preliminaries the male
flew to the female and lit on her back to copulate. The female was
receptive but did not crouch in a horizontal position. The mounting
lasted for approximately a minute. During the first 30 seconds the
male was fully occupied with balancing and positioning himself, and
copulation occurred only during the latter half of the mounting.
During this interval cloacal contact was effected three times, but was
only momentary each time. The birds were silent. After the male left,
the female continued to perch until flushed by my movements.

Judging from the nests that were examined, the kites of the Meade Park
area are well synchronized in their nesting, as all arrive at
approximately the same time. Bent (1936:66) stated that if a kite's
nest is robbed, the birds will lay a second set, either in the old
nest or a new one, about two weeks later. All young seen at Meade
State Park seemed to represent an age range of considerably less than
two weeks, and, presumably, no renestings were involv