Endangered Snail Kite Doing Well

Endangered Snail Kite Doing Well

By Brad Martin

On July 18 a Snail Kite, was admitted to Florida Wildlife Hospital. The bird was found in Canaveral Groves, perched on a car and being mobbed by mockingbirds. Snail Kites are listed as Endangered and found mainly in the marshes of south and south central Florida. Out of habitat and out of range, the kite, whose diet is almost exclusively Apple Snails, was weak and underweight, but with no obvious injuries.

A month later I visited with the hospital’s Director, Sue Small for an update. I was treated to a tour of their new 4,00 sq. ft. facility. Designed by staff members the building includes rooms for admitting, examination, surgery, critical care, rehabilitation, and flight-testing, as well as offices and an animal commissary. The new building was made necessary by the widening of Route 1 and paid for by money from the DOT in exchange for land and by donations.

The snail kite is feisty and has had a fifty per cent weight increase. Apple Snails are purchased wholesale from Nahacky’s Aquarium in Melbourne. Still it cost $140 dollars a week to keep the culinary snob of the avian world supplied in escargot. This is more than any other animal they have admitted. Sue thanked Space Coast Audubon for their recent donation of $140. The kite has a ways to go, but will eventually be transferred to Audubon’s Birds of Prey Center in Maitland, which will prepare the bird for release and give it a band before releasing it.

Update: The Florida Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary was happy to announce that the snail kite has been banded and released back into the wild on October 1.—Ed.