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The authors address innovations to improve identification of maternal mortality. Topics discussed include overview of maternal mortality surveillance systems in the U.S., brief information on the Pregnancy-Associated Death Identification Workgroup, and information on state vital records and Pregnancy Mortality Surveilance System (PMSS) data integration pilot.

The Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) formerly bred in Arkansas, but no nesting attempts were observed in the state for over a century. We initiated a study in 2001 to investigate the species' reproductive status in east-central Arkansas, USA. We located five nests between 2001 and 2009, all of which failed. Two nests were abandoned (one due to researcher caused disturbance), one failure was likely caused by a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) or Barred Owl (Strix varia), one was suspected to be caused by a rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta), and one failed from unknown causes. Nests were built in overcup (Quercus lyrata) and Nuttall oaks (Q. texana) with a mean ([+ or -] SD) diameter at breast height of 83.92 [+ or -] 7.20 cm, mean tree height of 31.28 [+ or -] 4.78 m, and mean projection of 7.15 [+ or -] 5.66 m above surrounding trees. Nests were at a mean height of 25.09 [+ or -] 4.85 m and positioned 0.30 [+ or -] 2.36 m above the surrounding trees. All nests were within a circular area 4 km in diameter. Our discovery of a nest in 2002 represented the first documented case of nesting Swallow-tailed Kites in Arkansas in >100 years and is a considerable (370 km) distance from the closest known nesting site in Louisiana. Received 3 May 2010. Accepted 11 October 2010., The Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus) formerly bred in at least 16 states from Florida and the Southeast Coastal Plain west to central Texas and north through the Mississippi and Ohio [...]

It may be reasonable to assume that raptors would likely perish as the result of an injury that potentially impaired their ability to capture prey. We present results from 98 wild-caught raptors that support the converse claim: raptors can and do survive with many types of injuries. We report a conservative injury estimate of 14% for wintering populations of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), and Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) in northeastern Arkansas. Injuries in these species included broken or missing talons, ulcerative pododermatitis (bumblefoot), missing toes, healed wing fractures, and iris damage., Raptors almost solely rely on live captures of potentially harmful prey (Gibson et al. 1998) and it seems reasonable to assume that a serious injury to an appendage or organ [...]