Basic Description. The highly specialized Snail Kite flies on broad wings over tropical wetlands as it hunts large freshwater snails.
Size & Shape. A distinctively shaped, medium-sized raptor with broad, almost paddle-shaped wings, a long, broad tail, long legs, and a thin, hooked bill.
People also ask
Are Snail Kites rare?
Why is it called a snail kite?
Do Snail Kites only eat snails?
Are Snail Kites invasive?
The snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) is a bird of prey within the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures.
Snail kite
Bird
The snail kite is a bird of prey within the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. Its relative, the slender-billed kite, is now again placed in Helicolestes, making the genus Rostrhamus monotypic. Wikipedia
Conservation status: Least Concern (Population increasing)
Scientific name: Rostrhamus sociabilis
Mass: 13 oz
Class: Aves
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Rostrhamus; Lesson, 1830
Source: Encyclopedia of Life
Show more
Show less
The Snail Kite is a bird of prey with a very particular appetite: it feeds almost exclusively on apple snails, a freshwater mollusk that occurs in Central and ...
The Snail Kite is quite gregarious and can spend time in large flocks, whether it is traveling to a roost site at dusk or foraging for food in loose groups.
The Everglade snail kite is a mid-sized raptor that can reach a length of 14.2-15.4 inches (36-39 centimeters) (Sykes et al. 1995).
This broad-winged bird glides slowly and low over the sawgrass. It has no need for fast flight, because it seeks only snails -- and only one particular sort, ...
Mar 14, 2023 · The Everglade snail kite is a raptor, similar to a hawk, that eats just one thing: snails. Over the last century, as much of the Everglades was ...
Widespread and fairly common in Central and South America, but very limited range in U.S. Found exclusively around lakes and marshes with plenty of vegetation.
The Snail Kite has one of the most specialized tools among raptors: a long, deeply curved beak designed to pull snails out of their shells.