March 25, 2012 - Snail Kites

The primary target bird species for the photography workshop I attended this winter was the Snail Kite, a medium-sized (17”) raptor. Our guide, Jim Neiger, lives on Lake Tohopekaliga (Lake Toho for short) near Kissimmee, Florida where many Snail Kites are found. We were on the lake for two days photographing kites and other bird species. All Snail Kites have a white patch on the tail but the solid dark plumage of this bird identifies it as an adult male.

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Adult female and all juvenile Snail Kites look like this photo: mottled brown plumage with white areas above the eyes and on the throat. Also note the red eye, found on both males and females. They have a very specialized bill with a long, sharply curved tip. Snail Kites are widespread in the tropics but in the U.S. they are highly endangered and found only in south central Florida.

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This Snail Kite is carrying a snail, an important part of its diet, as you might have guessed from its name. In fact, that specialized bill makes them almost entirely dependent on eating snails. They used to eat Florida Apple Snails, but habitat destruction has made those snails almost disappear. An exotic snail was introduced into Lake Toho and the Snail Kites have enthusiastically switched to the new one. As a result, the Snail Kite population is improving.

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When they are hunting, the kites fly low over the lake and watch for snails coming to the surface to breathe. Snails aren’t very swift, so the kites can just swoop down and grab a snail with their long thin talons.

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The snail is then taken to a perch where the kite uses its bill to reach in and cut the muscle holding the snail to its shell. Jim told us that one Snail Kite will eat 10 to 12 snails a day. During courtship, one of the ways a male will try to impress a female is to bring her a snail (already out of the shell) to eat.

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Here’s a cluster of pink eggs laid on the stem of the rushes by one of the exotic snails.

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There is a very active effort to help increase the number of Snail Kites. Signs like this are posted near the nesting areas. We were there in January and the birds hadn’t started nesting yet, so we were able to get close photos. Many of the kites on Lake Toho have been banded, like this one. Some have even been fitted with radio transmitters to help keep track of them.

This was a rare opportunity for me because I had never seen a Snail Kite before. It became life bird number 700.

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