Page 4 - Waterways- March '20

Page 4, Waterways
Northern Notes

Living With The Endangered great places for kites to see curved bill, cuts the snail from the shell. Sometimes this feat
is performed while in flight!
and catch apple snails as
Snail Kite they climb to the surface to Snail kites have been protected by state and federal law
breathe. under the Endangered Species Act since 1967, making it
By Katie Roundtree, Snail kites only eat apple illegal to harass, kill, capture or collect them. This includes
Finance Director, snails, which they hunt by protection from activities that disrupt normal breeding,
Northern Palm Beach flying low over the water feeding or sheltering. The Florida Fish and Wildlife
County Improvement while searching for their Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and
District prey near the surface. Snail Wildlife Service protect nest sites by posting signs around
Our logo at Northern Palm kites do not plunge into the sensitive areas during the breeding season. Always avoid
Beach County Improvement water to capture snails and never use the bill to capture prey. posted areas, particularly from February through August,
District consists of a picture Rather, they use their feet to capture snails at or below the and stay back at least 500 feet from warning signs.
of a bird within a circle surface of the water. Only snails that are breathing air, laying Snail kites will leave their nest when bothered, but may
surrounded by our name. eggs or crawling in a few inches of water are vulnerable. not aggressively defend it from people or predators. They
Not many people know what After capturing a snail, the kite pries it open and, using its may fly away or just sit nearby until the intruder is gone.
that bird is though. It is This behavior can lead people to think that their presence is
an Everglades snail kite not bothering the birds; however, any time a nest is untended
(Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) a crow-sized hawk, which the chicks or eggs are vulnerable to predators and harsh
is easily identified by the white patch at the base of its tail. temperatures. The longer the nest is exposed, the greater the
It has a unique curved bill designed to quickly pluck snails chance of failure. The best way you can help snail kites is
from their shells. Adult males are slate-gray, while females to avoid posted nesting areas and to report any harassment
are brown with varying amounts of white streaks on the face, or disturbance to FWC’s Wildlife Alert Rewards Program at
chest and neck. A unique trait of both sexes is that they have (888) 404-FWCC (3922). Source: www.myfwc.com.
red eyes. NPDES tip: Please pick up after your pet. When pet
Snail kites can be found in Central and South America, waste is washed into lakes or canals the waste decays, using
but the Everglade snail kite (R. s. plumbeus) is the only up oxygen and sometimes releasing ammonia. Low oxygen
subspecies found in the United States. Their entire U.S. range levels and ammonia combined with warm temperatures can
is restricted to South Florida, where they can be found in kill fish. Pet waste also contains nutrients that encourage
shallow freshwater marshes, like those of the Everglades, or weed and algae growth. Perhaps most importantly, pet waste
along the shallow, grassy shorelines of lakes. Both habitats carries diseases which make water unsafe.
have a mixture of short plants and open water, making them
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