Snail Kite (male)
Short brake from Costa Rica.. family gathering in Florida provide another opportunity to get shots of this rarity. Dense morning fog overcome with with dehaze in Lightroom. Airboat tour.
From Wiki:
Nests and forages year-round in freshwater wetlands of southern Florida, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Locally endangered species in the Florida Everglades, with a population of less than 400 breeding pairs. Research has demonstrated that water-level control in the Everglades is depleting the population of apple snails. However, this species is not generally threatened over its extensive range. it might be locally increasing in numbers, such as in Central America.
This is a gregarious bird of freshwater wetlands, forming large winter roosts. Its diet consists almost exclusively of apple snails, (especially the species Pomacea paludosa in Florida, and species of the genus Marisa). Snail kites have been observed eating other prey items in Florida, including crayfish in the genus Procambarus, crabs in the genus Dilocarcinus, black crappie, small turtles and rodents. It is believed that snail kites turn to these alternatives only when apple snails become scarce, such as during drought, but further study is needed. On 14 May 2007, a birdwatcher photographed a snail kite feeding at a red swamp crayfish farm in Clarendon County, South Carolina.
The presence of the large introduced Pomacea maculata in Florida has led the snail kites in North America to develop larger bodies and beaks to better eat the snail, a case of rapid evolution.[17] These non-native snails provide a better food source over the smaller native snails and has had a positive effect on their population
Snail Kite (male)
Short brake from Costa Rica.. family gathering in Florida provide another opportunity to get shots of this rarity. Dense morning fog overcome with with dehaze in Lightroom. Airboat tour.
From Wiki:
Nests and forages year-round in freshwater wetlands of southern Florida, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Locally endangered species in the Florida Everglades, with a population of less than 400 breeding pairs. Research has demonstrated that water-level control in the Everglades is depleting the population of apple snails. However, this species is not generally threatened over its extensive range. it might be locally increasing in numbers, such as in Central America.
This is a gregarious bird of freshwater wetlands, forming large winter roosts. Its diet consists almost exclusively of apple snails, (especially the species Pomacea paludosa in Florida, and species of the genus Marisa). Snail kites have been observed eating other prey items in Florida, including crayfish in the genus Procambarus, crabs in the genus Dilocarcinus, black crappie, small turtles and rodents. It is believed that snail kites turn to these alternatives only when apple snails become scarce, such as during drought, but further study is needed. On 14 May 2007, a birdwatcher photographed a snail kite feeding at a red swamp crayfish farm in Clarendon County, South Carolina.
The presence of the large introduced Pomacea maculata in Florida has led the snail kites in North America to develop larger bodies and beaks to better eat the snail, a case of rapid evolution.[17] These non-native snails provide a better food source over the smaller native snails and has had a positive effect on their population