Saturday, February 13, 2016

SNAIL KITE, HARNS MARSH PRESERVE, LEHIGH ACRES, FL

   We have identified this bird as a Snail Kite because of its deeply hooked bill and its short tail.  The bill is the most deeply hooked of all the species in the family Accipitridae.  It is specifically adapted to remove the snail from the the shell of its primary prey, the Applesnail.
   The Snail Kite is probably a female, as its wings are brownish, rather than the gray of the male.
   The Snail Kite is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 268.




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