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| MEASUREMENTS: The Snail Kite has a body length of 16 - 18 inches, nearly a 4-foot wingspan, and weighs 12 - 14 ounces. |
 HABITAT: Snail Kites are found in tropical and subtropical lowland swamps and marshes with scant vegetation in Florida, a few of the Caribbean Islands, Central America, and South America. |
| DIET: This kite’s beak is specially adapted to extract aquatic snails from their shells. They will also eat fresh water crabs, turtles, and small rodents if snails are not available. Snail Kites hunt from a perch or by flying low over suitable habitat looking for snails. |
| REPRODUCTION: Snail Kites nest in colonies in trees. The nest is built of sticks on a thin branch. The female lays 2 - 4 eggs that are incubated by both parents for 26 - 28 days. The young kites fledge at 6 - 7 weeks old. Snail Kites may have more than 1 clutch in a season and become sexually mature in less than a year. |
| NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from the Latin words rostrum, meaning the beak; hamus, a hook, referring to the hooked beak; and sociabilis, pertaining to its sociable nature of nesting in colonies. The common name refers to the main food of this kite. This bird has also been called an
Everglade Kite, Black Kite, Hook-billed Kite, and Snail Hawk. |
INTERESTING FACTS:
- The female Snail Kite may desert the male and leave him to finish raising the nestlings, while she searches for a new mate to raise a second clutch of eggs.
- The plumage of the Snail Kite shows sexual dimorphism. The male is solidly blue-black and the female is streaked brown with white on her face.
- This kite is one of the most specialized feeders of any bird of prey. This specialty restricts the bird’s range to marshy areas that contain specific types of snails.
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