Snail Kite
Rostrhamus sociabilis
Also known as: Everglade Kite
About This Species
Flies low and slow over freshwater marshes and flooded grasslands, dropping down to pluck apple snails from the water's surface with its sharply hooked bill. Watch for birds carrying a snail to a perch to extract it, a deliberate process that can take several minutes and offers a good chance for a close, if brief, look. Wetlands with healthy snail populations are most productive in the warmer, wetter months when water levels stay stable enough to support the prey.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Viewing from a boardwalk, boat, or vehicle at a marsh edge keeps disturbance low without needing to approach feeding birds directly.
- Because habitat and population status vary by country across its range from Florida to Argentina, and some regional populations face pressure from wetland drainage even though the species overall is not threatened, avoid pushing into marsh vegetation to get closer.
- Give feeding or perched birds room to continue extracting prey undisturbed.
LCAvesAccipitriformesAccipitridae
Seasonal Activity
228,900 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
Photo
(c) joseluisblazquez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.