Snail kite facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Snail Kite

Snail kite
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Aves
Order:	Accipitriformes
Family:	Accipitridae
Subfamily:	Milvinae (disputed)
Genus:	Rostrhamus
Binomial name
*Rostrhamus sociabilis*

The snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) is a bird of prey. It is in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures.

Description

Adult male in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Snail kites are 36 to 48 cm (14 to 19 in) long with a 99–120 cm (39–47 in) wingspan. They weigh from 300 to 570 grams (11 to 20 oz).

They have long, broad, and rounded wings. Its tail is long with a white rump. The dark, deeply hooked beak measures 2.9–4 cm (1.1–1.6 in).

It flies slowly with its head facing downwards to see its prey. It mostly eats large apple snails.

The snail kite lives in tropical South America, the Caribbean, and central and southern Florida in the United States. It nests in a bush or on the ground and lays 3–4 eggs.