Rare Snail Kite Sighting In Viera Wetlands

Another day and the Snail Kite remains in the Viera wetlands. With the abundance of Apple Snails we may just have a happy camper or resident some may say. The food supply is a major effect on the Snail Kite which relys on water supply in the south Florida wetlands to produce the Apple Snail habitat. As habitat goes away so do the Snail Kites. Once known as the Everglades Kite the Snail Kite has had to search out new food supplies further north in Florida. To my knowledge we may have the most northern sighting as of now.

American Kestrel Falcon Falco sparverius

American Kestrel Falcon Falco sparverius

The scientific name comes from the Latin word falco, meaning hook-shaped (falcate) and may refer to the beak or claws, and espervier, the Latinized French word for a sparrow hawk and probably refers to its size and prey. The American Kestrel has been called a Sparrow Hawk, Killy Hawk (for the sound they make), or Windhover (for their ability to hover).

American Kestrels are found throughout most of North, Central, and South America. They inhabit tropical lowlands, deserts, urban areas, and open-altered lands, such as agricultural fields. With this in mind it explains why they are common at the Viera Wetlands.