Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur

Sitio realizado por aficionados a la observación de aves desde 10 de enero 2006

Snail Kite - Rostrhamus sociabilis

Order: Falconiformes - Family: Accipitridae
Habitat: Ponds and marshes

This raptor flies above the reserve generally in groups. It lands on the reserve depending on the availability of apple snails, its basic food
All records since January 2014
Adult male
Caracolero/Snail Kite © J. Simón Tagtachian
Looks blackish. Thin hooked bill. Rump and undertail converts white. Black tail with apical white band. Legs orange or red. Cere orange and iris red
Adulto hembra
CaracoleroH/Snail KiteF © J. Simón Tagtachian
dark brown. Underparts heavily streaked white. Cere and face less colourful than male. Rectrices light barred black. Sometimes light spots on base of primaries. Two-coloured tail
Juvenile
CaracoleroJ/Snail KiteJ© Pablo Serur
Brown. Light eyebrow. Light underparts streaked brown. Dark iris.
caracoleroJ-JST-8-138-2013 © J. Simón Tagtachian caracoleroJ3-JST-8-138-2013 © J. Simón Tagtachian caracoleroJ1-JST-8-1310-2012 © J. S. Tagtachian
caracoleroJ2-JST-8-13© J. Simón Tagtachian caracoleroJ4-JST-8-13© J. Simón Tagtachian
Flock
Caracolero/Snail Kite© J. Simón Tagtachian
Glide in circles
Diet
Snail KiteRostrhamus sociabilisCaracolero/Snail Kite
Caracolero/Snail Kite22 9 16 © J. Simón Tagtachian
The Snail Kite, as its name suggests, feeds on Ampullaria freshwater snails known as apple snails. To extract the soft part it inserts the hook into the shell to cut the muscle which connects flesh to the shell. So the shell stays intact. The other snail predator is the limpkin which has a completely different bill. To reach the soft part the limpkin pecks at the shell making a hole. The presence or absence of a hole tells us about the predator.
Caracolero/Snail Kite
Caracolero/Snail Kite22 9 16 © J. Simón Tagtachian
More photographic records since January 2013
Previous registros
CaracoleroM/Snail KiteM10 13 © J. Simón Tagtachian caracolero-DoF-8-138 13 © Dolores Fernández
CaracoleroM/Snail KiteM10 12 © J. Simón Tagtachian Caracolero8 08 © Hugo Hulsberg