I’m happy to learn that Florida’s Snail Kite population is rebounding, especially since I’ve become a big fan of these endangered birds.
In the U.S., they’re found only in Florida and were once known as the Everglade Snail Kite. As one might guess, their diet is snails, so the birds are reliant on wetland ecosystems for their food supply. According to Audubon.org, the Florida Snail Kite population crashed in the early 2000s after two significant droughts in the state.
“Their numbers plunged from more than 3,000 birds to approximately 700 in just 10 years. The problem? As parts of the Everglades — including Lake Okeechobee and South Florida — went dry, the kites’ only food source, the Florida apple snail, dried out too,” Audubon said.
For once, an invasive species in Florida did some good. Exotic apple snails from South America became established in the Kites’ habitat.
“These snails grow much larger than our native snails, are more resilient to dry conditions, and can spread rapidly,” Audubon said. “Luckily, the kites learned to feed on these invaders, contributing to an unlikely success story where kites have rebounded to approximately 3,000 birds today. Limpkins, another snail specialist, have rebounded as well.”
Still, as I have seen in Osceola County, there is another threat for the Snail Kites’ survival: Our growing human population.
Housing and commercial developments are claiming land in or near the Kites’ wetlands habitats. In the Twin Oaks Conservation Area in Kissimmee where I photographed the Kites below, subdivisions are encircling the marshy area where these Kites are living. I fear it won’t be long before they will be forced to leave.
