REASONS FOR CURRENT STATUS 



Reduction of suitable habitat due to drainage 

 of marshes is the primary reason for the kite's en- 

 dangered status. By 1967, only 3,981 km^ of the 

 original 7,112 km^ of Everglades remained un- 

 drained (Stieglitz and Thompson 1967, U.S. De- 

 partment of the Interior 1973, Sykes 1979). 

 Droughts and water management have also 

 affected kite habitat by reducing populations of 

 apple snails (Pomacea paludosa), the kite's only 

 food source (U.S. Department of the Interior 

 1973). 



The introduced water hyacinth [Eichornia 

 crassipes) now covers the water surface in many 

 areas, making it impossible for kites to locate 

 apple snails (Sykes 1979). 



Excessive human disturbance and malicious 

 killings have also contributed to population de- 

 clines (Stieglitz and Thompson 1967, Sykes 

 1979). 



Potential factors of unknovwi importance in- 

 clude parasites transmitted by snails, weather pat- 

 tern changes, and inbreeding due to reduced 

 population size (Stieghtz and Thompson 1967). 



Pesticide concentrations in snails, kites, and 

 kite eggs are very low and probably do not pre- 

 sent a threat (Steiglitz and Thompson 1967). 



PRIORITY INDEX 



Not assigned. 



DESCRIPTION 



The kite is a medium-sized hawk, 41 to 46 cm 

 long, with a wingspan of 114 cm. Its beak is slen- 

 der and strongly hooked. Adult males are slate 

 gray with black head and wing tips, and a white 

 patch at the base of the tail. Legs are orange-red. 

 Females and immatures are buffy, heavily streaked 

 vsath dark lines, with a white rump and yellow 

 legs. 



RANGE 



The species ranges wddely in the Neotropics, 

 with three recognized subspecies. The Florida 

 race is restricted to peninsular Florida and Cuba. 



It formerly ranged over much of Florida, 

 wherever suitable habitat occurred, including the 

 following counties: Brevard, Broward, Collier, 

 Dade, Flagler, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Indian 

 River, Jefferson, Lake, Monroe, Okeechobee, Or- 

 ange, Osceola, Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Seminole, 

 Sumter, Volusia, and Wakulla (Sykes 1979). 



It is now restricted to the headwaters of the 

 St. Johns River, the southwest side of Lake Okee- 

 chobee, a portion of Everglades National Park, a 

 portion of the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Re- 

 fuge, and small areas in Broward, Dade, and Palm 

 Beach Counties (Sykes 1979). 



RANGE MAP 



Present distribution is adapted from Sykes 

 (1979). 



STATES/COUNTIES 



Florida Broward, Dade, Glades, Indian River, 

 Palm Beach, St. Lucie. 



HABITAT 



The species is typically found in fresh- 

 water marshes with a distant horizon. Favorable 

 areas consist of shallow open water vegetated 

 with sawgrass [Cladium jamaicensis) and spike- 

 rushes {Eleocharis sp.). Flats, often interspersed 

 with tree islands or small groups of shrubs and 

 trees including dahoon holly (Ilex cassine), coastal 

 plain willow [Saltx caroliniana), wax myrtle [My- 

 rica cerifera), and buttonbush [Cephalanthus occi- 

 dentalis). Other common aquatics include water- 

 lily [Nymphaea odorata), big floating heart [Nym- 

 phoides aquatica), maidencane {Pantcum hemito- 

 mon), bulltongue [Sagittaria lancifolia), pickerel- 

 weed [Pontederia lanceolata), cattail [Typha do- 

 mingensis), waterlettuce [Pistia stratiotes), and 

 water hyacinth (Stieglitz and Thompson 1979). 



Water levels may fluctuate so long as the sur- 

 face does not completely dry (Sykes 1979). Habi- 

 tat photographs appear in Stieglitz and Thompson 

 (1967), Snyder and Snyder (1969), and Sykes 

 (1979). 



FOOD AND FORAGING BEHAVIOR 



Snail kites feed only on the freshwater apple 

 snail. They fly 1.5 to 9 m above the surface, de- 

 scending when a snail is sighted. Snails are grasped 

 with a single talon and are usually transferred to 

 the beak in flight. They also sometimes hunt from 

 perches. Snails are extracted and the shells dis- 

 carded. 



Captives will survive on horse meat and will 

 take other species of snails. Their dependence up- 

 on apple snails in nature probably results from 

 this snail's occurrence near the water's surface, 

 unlike other large snails (Snyder and Snyder 1969). 



SHELTER REQUIREMENTS 



Not known. 



