By Andy Reid, Sun Sentinel
5:27 a.m. EDT, July 7, 2014
After years of droughts pushing water levels too low or floods pushing water levels too high, more recent conditions have been just right for the ever-sensitive bird of prey known as the Everglades snail kite.
As a result, the number of the endangered birds is growing, signaling hope for both the health of the struggling species and for the famed River of Grass that it calls home.
There were just 800 Everglades snail kites in 2008, but their numbers had grown to about 1,200 birds in 2013 and are so far holding steady this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"They are a very good indication for the health of the Everglades," Jane Graham, Audubon Florida's Everglades policy associate, said about the snail kite. "We want to see them doing well."
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