Listing Status
- Federal Status: Endangered
- FL Status: Federally-designated Endangered
- FNAI Ranks: G4G5T2/S2 (Globally: Ranges from Apparently Secure to Demonstrably Secure [Insufficient data for specific rank], Sub sp. Imperiled/State: Imperiled)
- IUCN Status: Not ranked
Appearance
Photo of female Everglade snail kite by Collette Lauzau used with permission.
The Everglade snail kite is a mid-sized raptor that can reach a length of 14.2-15.4 inches. Adult males are a dark slate gray to black with red eyes and orange legs, which turn a bright red during breeding season. Females have brown bodies with red eyes and yellow to orange legs, with varying amounts of white streaking on their face, neck, and chest (shown in picture above). Snail kites have a distinct white rump patch at the base of their triangular-shaped tail. Young snail kites are similar in appearance to females except with brown eyes and more light streaks on their face; light spotting is more prominent on their body.
The Everglade snail kite is commonly mistaken for northern harriers also known as “marsh hawks,” however, northern harriers migrate to Florida during the winter season. Northern harriers also have a white rump patch, but their tail is more long and slim. Northern harriers fly low to the ground or over vegetation with their wings in a “V” formation, in contrast to snail kites that hold their wings in a downward curved position.
Behavior
The Everglade snail kite is a dietary specialist that feeds almost entirely on apple snails (Pomacea spp.). Snail kites originally fed on Florida apple snails (Pomacea paludosa) but will now also feed on the invasive apple snail (Pomacea maculata) since their introduction and expansion across Florida wetlands. Snail kites, including juveniles, have gotten larger due to increased nutritional input from large amounts of invasive apple snails. Their slender, curved bill is designed for taking snails out of their shells. Snail kites hunt for snails by flying slowly or perching over sparsely vegetated wetlands. They will grab snails that are within six inches of the water’s surface with their long talons.
Breeding
The Everglade snail kite peak nesting season is March through June, but they can be found nesting in wetland systems throughout the year. Snail kites can brood more than once a year with a clutch of 1-5 eggs. Their incubation period lasts from 24-30 days and their nestling period ranges from 26-30 days. Young snail kites reach sexual maturity at one year of age but do not typically breed until their second year. Snail kites are long living birds, with the oldest ever recorded snail kite being 24 years old.
Courtship behavior consists of males bringing food and nesting material to potential mates. They will begin aerial displays like performing “roller coaster” flights while carrying a stick in their bill and calling to females. Males will select the nest site and do most of the nest building. The nests are built over water to reduce access to the nest by predators in a wide variety of vegetation, including cattail, sawgrass, bulrush, willow cypress, pond apple, and wax myrtle. The nest cup is a woven configuration of sticks and dry plant material. Nests can be up to 16 inches across and 9 inches tall.
Both males and females will typically share incubation duties and nest defense. When it is time to switch turns with incubation duties each parent will make a “ku-wak” sound. Both parents will support the young until it is near fledging age.
Habitat
Snail kites in Florida do not migrate and inhabit shallow freshwater marshes and grassy shorelines of lakes. They forage in clear and open areas so they can easily search for apple snails. They can typically be found throughout peninsular Florida, including Payne’s Prairie Preserve, St. Johns River headwaters, Kissimmee River valley, Lake Okeechobee, and many parts of the Everglades, such as Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area complex, Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Water Conservation Areas, Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. Snail kites are very nomadic and will often move between wetlands to find better foraging and nesting habitat.
Threats
The main threat to the Everglade snail kite in Florida is the loss and degradation of wetlands throughout Florida. The draining and channelization of Florida’s wetlands has reduced foraging and nesting habitats, degraded water quality, and disrupted natural flooding and drying cycles in snail kite habitat. Agriculture and urban runoff change vegetation growth, limiting the snail kite’s ability to locate food or find nesting materials. Overgrowth of invasive plants can also allow predators to access kite nests. Harassment from humans is also a threat as snail kites will flee from their nest if approached, exposing their young to predators and harsh temperatures.
Conservation and Management
Juvenile Everglade snail kites in nest structure. Photo taken during permitted monitoring.
The Everglade snail kite is protected as an endangered species by both Florida's Endangered and Threatened Species Rule and the Federal Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends staying at least 500 feet from any active snail kite nest, which may be marked with warning signs in areas where human disturbance is likely to occur. The species also receives protections under the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
The state and federal governments are actively protecting and restoring Everglade snail kite habitat in the South Florida ecosystem. The goal of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is to restore the the central Everglades, the largest complex of snail kite habitat in Florida, to support the recovery of this iconic species.
The Everglade snail kite is also listed in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan which allows for the recovery of listed species through management techniques based on a landscape approach.
The University of Florida and the United States Geological Survey are currently monitoring snail kite nests and young by banding fledglings and using large samples of marked juveniles. These processes will provide beneficial information on reproductive rates, population size estimates, and survival rates with age.
How You Can Help
- If you have seen a banded snail kite report it.
- If you suspect any illegal activity, please report it to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline or by phone at 888-404-3922.
- If you have any questions involving snail kites, please contact your FWC Regional Office.
- If you have found an injured or sick snail kite, please contact the clinic at the Audubon Center for Birds Of Prey at 407-644-0190 or visit Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.
References
Florida Natural Areas Inventory. 2001. Field guide to the rare animals of Florida. https://www.fnai.org/PDFs/FieldGuides/Rostrhamus_sociabilis.pdf
Sykes, Jr., P. W., J. A. Rodgers, Jr. and R. E. Bennetts.1995. Snail Kite (Rostrhamussociabilis), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online.
Sykes, P. W., Jr. 1987. Some aspects of the breeding biology of the snail kite in Florida. Journal Field Ornithology 58:171-189.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (1999, May 18). Everglade snail kite. Retrieved August 2, 2011, from Multi-Species Recovery Plan for South Florida: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/sfl_msrp/SFL_MSRP_Ecol%20Comm.pdf