It wasn’t even a year ago that I saw my first Snail Kite. In the 10 months since then, I’ve been become enamored with these rare Florida birds.
On a recent trip to Osceola County, I spotted two male Snail Kites in two different locations. At both spots, it was the first time I had ever seen male Snail Kites there.
I saw the first one near a housing development outside Kissimmee and the other one along the shore of Lake Kissimmee near Kenansville.
It’s always a treat to photograph these birds as they scan the water hunting for apple snails, drive down to snatch their prey and then land nearby to feast on their catches.
And it’s worth repeating how rare these birds are. Audubon issued a report in January noting that because of drought the past two years, only 30 successful Snail Kite nests were found in Florida in 2025. “The population estimate for 2025 has dropped to about 2,000 kites total. The 2026 population estimate is expected to be even lower,” the organization reported.
