Food
Primarily apple snails (Pomacea sp.).Back to top
Conservation
Snail Kite is widespread and common in Latin America, but in the U.S. it is listed as endangered both federally and in Florida, because of its small population and its extreme habitat specialization. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 2 million with 1% living in the U.S>, and 2% in Mexico. The species rates a 9 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score. The Everglades population of Snail Kite is on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List, which lists bird species that are at risk of becoming threatened or endangered without conservation action.Back to top
Credits
Lutmerding, J. A. and A. S. Love. Longevity records of North American birds. Version 2015.2. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bird Banding Laboratory 2015.
North American Bird Conservation Initiative. 2014. The State of the Birds 2014 Report. US Department of Interior, Washington, DC, USA.
Partners in Flight (2017). Avian Conservation Assessment Database. 2017.
Reichert, Brian E., Christopher E. Cattau, Robert J. Fletcher, Jr., Paul W. Sykes Jr., James A. Rodgers Jr. and R. E. Bennetts. 2015. Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA.
Sibley, D. A. (2014). The Sibley guide to birds, second edition. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, USA.