Snail Kites’ Affinity for Home Leaves It in More Peril

Date: December 10, 2015

Source: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

The endangered snail kite's affinity for its birthplace can come back to haunt the bird, leaving it in more peril, according to a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study.

Snail kites are important for at least two reasons: Bird enthusiasts flock to see them in their natural habitat, so they're a bit of a tourist magnet. Secondly, wildlife managers use the snail kite as a barometer for conservation actions to preserve the Everglades, said Robert Fletcher, a UF/IFAS associate professor of wildlife ecology and conservation.

The population of snail kites declined from about 3,500 to about 700 from 1999 through 2008. The bird has bounced back a bit, to about 1,700 birds in 2014, mostly in the lake habitats to the north of the Everglades.

Because of the snail kite's dwindling population, Fletcher led a 17-year study into dispersal patterns of the federally endangered bird. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, spans the years 1997 to 2013.

Researchers counted birds and determined where individual snail kites nested over time to see if they returned to their abodes. The scientists' work shows that despite the fact that snail kites move around considerably, they have strong preferences for places like home, and this impacts breeding, Fletcher said.

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ENDANGERED BIRDS: Wildlife photographer pleads guilty to violating Endangered Species Act

Jim Neiger could face one year in prison

female (Wikipedia)

KISSIMMEE, Fla. —A local wildlife photographer has entered a guilty plea to violating the Endangered Species Act.

According to court papers, the photographer in question was observed more than a half dozen times by a group of researchers harassing an endangered bird and violating federal law.

Lake Toho is paradise for lovers of exotic bird species. But in some cases, you must keep your distance.

The Endangered Species Act requires people to stay at least 500 feet from nests of the Snail Kite, an endangered raptor.

According to federal court papers, eight times between 2010 and 2011, a group of University of South Florida researchers observed Kissimmee wildlife photographer Jim Neiger wedge his pontoon boat into the reeds near snail kite nests.

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Endangered Bird Comeback: Invasive food source has snail kite population soaring

Fort Myers, Florida (News-Press) -- One of Florida's most endangered birds is making a comeback in the most exotic of ways, feeding off an invasive critter that feeds mostly off an invasive plant.

Snail kite numbers have jumped statewide from 650 in 2007 to about 1,200 today. While that's only a fraction of the 3,400 birds found here in 1999, the rebound rate has shocked the science world. The next breeding season starts in January, and scientists aren't sure what to expect.

"We have a bird that was in dire straits that is now taking advantage of this proliferation of an exotic species that exploded," said Wiley Kitchens, a biologist and bird expert who conducts research for the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Florida.

"We were looking at almost an eminent extinction," Wiley continued. "That's where we were about four years ago - really, really concerned."

Continued