Snail Kite

Description:

These were hunting for apple snails along with the limpkins at the preserve. I was surprised to see them there, as they have very limited range in Florida. We saw two, maybe three of them hunting at this location. In the last photo you can see one of them swooping down to grab a snail. I think the ones pictured here are either females or juveniles; I saw no adult males.

Habitat:

Next to the boardwalk of La Chua Trail in Payne's Prairie. The surrounding area was flooded from recent rains.

Notes:

Most snail kites feed almost exclusively on apple snails, but they will turn to other aquatic invertebrates when apple snails are scarce. My spotting of the apple snails at this location are here: https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/16...