Snail Kite

The Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) is a raptor of medium size, with a length ranging from 36 to 48 cm (14 to 19 inches) and a wingspan of 99 to 120 cm (39 to 47 inches). Weighing between 300 to 570 grams (11 to 20 ounces), these birds exhibit limited sexual dimorphism, with females being only marginally larger than males. They possess long, broad, and rounded wings, each spanning 29 to 33 cm (11 to 13 inches), and a notably long tail measuring 16 to 21 cm (6.3 to 8.3 inches), featuring a white rump and undertail coverts. Their dark, deeply hooked beak, an adaptation to their specialized diet, measures 2.9 to 4 cm (1.1 to 1.6 inches). The tarsus is also relatively elongated, at 3.6 to 5.7 cm (1.4 to 2.2 inches).

Identification Tips

Adult males are characterized by dark blue-gray plumage with darker flight feathers and red legs and cere. Adult females display dark brown upperparts and heavily streaked pale underparts, with a whitish face marked by darker regions behind and above the eye, and yellow or orange legs and cere. Juveniles resemble adult females but have a streaked crown. Adults boast red or orangish-brown irises, while juveniles have dark brown irises.

Habitat

Snail Kites are birds of freshwater wetlands, where they can often be seen flying slowly with their heads facing downwards in search of their primary prey.

Distribution

These birds breed in tropical South America, the Caribbean, and central and southern Florida in the United States. They are year-round residents in most of their range, but the southernmost populations migrate north in winter, and Caribbean birds disperse widely after the breeding season.

Behaviour

Snail Kites are gregarious, forming large winter roosts. They are molluscivores, specializing in feeding on large apple snails.

Breeding

Snail Kites nest in bushes or on the ground, laying clutches of three to four eggs.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the Snail Kite consists almost exclusively of apple snails, particularly Pomacea paludosa in Florida, and species of the genus Marisa. They have also been observed consuming alternative prey items such as crayfish, crabs, fish, small turtles, and rodents, particularly during periods when apple snails are scarce.

Conservation Status

The Snail Kite is considered locally endangered in the Florida Everglades, with less than 400 breeding pairs. However, it is not generally threatened across its extensive range and may even be increasing in numbers in some areas.