Everglades Snail Kite
The Everglades snail kite is one of Florida's most iconic bird species. Everglades snail kites are crow sized raptors that inhabit the lakes and marshes of South-Central Florida. As their name implies, the snail kite is a dietary specialist, relying almost exclusively on freshwater apple snails (Pomacea spp.) for food. Although common throughout Central and South America, the snail kite population in Florida is the only population within the United States. The U.S. population is federally listed as endangered and has undergone precipitous declines within the past decade, currently numbering fewer than 1,000 individuals. The reasons for this decline are attributable primarily to habitat loss and fragmentation and alterations to the hydrologic regimes of Florida's wetlands.