SNAIL KITE

The 'Snail Kite', ''Rostrhamus sociabilis'', is a bird of prey in the monotypic genus ''Rostrhamus'' within the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks and Old World vultures.
The Snail Kite is a resident breeder in tropical South America, the Caribbean and central and southern Florida, USA.
This is a bird of freshwater wetlands. It nests in a bush or on the ground, laying 3–4 eggs. It is 45cm long with a 120cm wingspan. It is a gregarious species, forming large winter roosts.
The Snail Kite has long, broad, and rounded wings. It is long-tailed, with a white rump and undertail coverts. Its dark, deeply hooked beak is an adaptation to its diet, which consists almost exclusively of Apple Snails. The adult male has dark blue-gray plumage with darker flight feathers. The legs and cere are red.
The adult female has dark brown upperparts and heavily streaked pale underparts. She has a whitish face with darker areas behind and above the eye. The legs and cere are yellow or orange. The immature is similar to adult female, but the crown is streaked.
The flight is slow, with the kite's head facing downwards as it looks for snails.

Contents

Status in the US

References

Status in the US

The Snail Kite is a locally endangered species in the Florida Everglades in the U.S., with a population of less than 400 breeding pairs. Research has demonstrated that water-level control in the Everglades is depleting the population of Apple Snails. However this species is not generally threatened over its extensive range.
In May 2007, a birdwatcher claimed to have discovered a Snail Kite feeding at a crawfish farm about 35 southeast of Columbia, South Carolina. The discovery, if confirmed by the South Carolina Bird Records Committee, may lead to testing of crawfish as an alternative food for the bird.^[1]

References

★ Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
1. Bird watcher spots snail kite in S.C.