Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)

Other Names (World)
Snail Kite, Everglade Kite (plumbeus)

Family
Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles)

Size
40 - 45 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Vieillot, 1817)

Habitat
Inland wetlands. Also, irrigated land, larger freshwater lakes. From sea-level - 1,000 m.

Range (Guide)

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay (B), USA (B), Venezuela.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 2,000,000 (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (27)...)

Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) [XC267771]
by Paul Marvin from T. M. Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area, Brevard County, Florida, United States (call, flight call)

Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) [XC773735]
by Douglas Meyer from Laguna del Diario, Maldonado, Uruguay, Uruguay (song)

Subspecies
Cuban population sometimes awarded separate subspecies, levis.

The following 4 subspecies are recognised:

plumbeus Ridgway, 1874 - Florida Everglades (south-eastern USA), Cuba and I of Pines.
major Nelson & Goldman, 1933 - Eastern Mexico and Pet�n (Guatemala).
sociabilis (Vieillot, 1817) - Honduras and Nicaragua through Panama to South America, occurring west of Andes in Colombia and Ecuador, and east of Andes throughout to north-eastern Argentina, except Guyana Massif and Brazilian Plateau.
levis Friedmann, 1933 - Cuba.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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