E- 1,» IL:F-:TIN ,1--1 . 1
~ 1//5211.-/ 1--a ..Im- 9

I. .

of the
FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM

Biological Sciences
Volume 29 1984 Number 6

THE RANGE OF THE SNAIL KITE AND ITS HISTORY IN FLORIDA

PAUL W. SYKES, JR.

20

...... .Ils; Sit.
... >...58* >I

8-9 f= . rf, »'ulu , S<FSM) j ..... I
S ... . ".4 . I .

9 »1 , 4. 1% S .-Gs //'-
*4 * 1 -44- . I , 1/Ft Dll

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA GAINESVILLE



Numbers of the BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM, BIOLOGICAL SCI-
ENCES, are published at irregular intervals. Volumes contain about 300 pages and are not

necessarily completed in any one calendar year.

OLIVER L . AUSTIN, JR ., Editor
RHODA J. BRYANT, Managing Editor

Consultants for this issue:

FRED E. LoHRER
JAMES W PARKER

Communications concerning purchase or exchange of the publications and all manuscripts
should be addressed to: Managing Editor, Bulletin; Florida State Museum; University of
Florida; Gainesville, Florida 32611.

This public document was promulgated at an annual cost of $3,525.00
or $3.525 per copy. It makes available to libraries, scholars, and all
interested persons the results of researches in the natural sciences,
emphasizing the circum-Caribbean region.

Publication date: December 3, 1984 Price $3.55



THE RANGE OF THE SNAIL KITE AND ITS HISTORY
IN FLORIDA

PAUL W SYKES, JR. 1

ABSTRACT: A study of the status, distribution, life history, and ecology of the Snail (Ev-
erglade) Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis ptumbeus) was conducted in Florida beginning in the
fall of 1967 and completed at the end of December 1980. This paper covers the distribu-
tional aspects of the study.

Taxonomists have generally recognized four subspecies of Rostrhamus sociabilia, but
more recently Amadon (1975) concluded that the birds in Florida and Cuba are insepa-
rable, and he assigned levis of Cuba to plumbeus. This paper follows that opinion.

The ranges of the Snail Kite and its subspecies are presented in four range maps based
on a thorough review of the literature and information supplied by ornithologists working
in or visiting various parts of the Western Hemisphere.

The total range in Florida is mapped in detail. The original and present (1968-1980)
ranges in Florida are presented. The present range was found to be about 9% of the
original. The legal descriptions of localities used by kites during the 1968-1980 period are
listed in Appendix 2.

Records of the Snail Kite from 1844 through 1980 in the United States cover its occur-
renee at 80 localities in Florida, 1 in Georgia, and 3 in Texas. The Florida localities are
numbered and shown in Figure 15. The localities are grouped under 12 natural drainage
systems, 3 regions, and 6 political divisions. The listing of records is as complete as pos-
sible.

The range and historical data for Florida were obtained from a review of the literature,
a thorough search for preserved material in museum and private collections in the United
States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe, field observations throughout the state by the au-
thor from the fall of 1967 through the end of December 1980, and the assistance of coop-
erators. Curated collections that were found to have no kite materials from Florida are
listed in Appendix 1. A complete list of preserved Snail Kite material originating from
Florida is found in Appendix 3. These include 159 skins and mounts, 148 egg sets, and 1
skeleton. There appears to be no fluid (whole) specimen of the Snail Kite for Florida.
Information listed in Appendix 3 includes locality at which the material was collected,
date, catalog number, curatorial institution, and sex. The number of skins and egg sets at
each curatorial institution are listed in Table 1. Kites have been recorded in 33 Florida
counties.

During 1968-1980, the most important areas in Florida for the Snail Kite were the
marsh on the west side of Lake Okeechobee (Fig. 9) and the eastern and southern sectors
of Conservation Area 3A (CA3A) (Fig. 13)  Habitats in these two areas should be main-
tained to insure their continued suitability for this species.

RESUMEN: Un estudio del status, distribucidn, ciclo de vida y ecologia del gavild caracol-

ero (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) fue realizado en Florida entre el comienzo del otofio
del 1967 y el final de diciembre de 1980. Este articulo cubre aspectos distribucionales de
dicho estudio.

Generalmente, los tax6nomos reconocen cuatro subespecies de Rostrhamus sociabilis,
pero mas recientemente, Amadon (1975) concluy6 que hay s610 tres subespecies; dado

'The mthor is I Wildlife·Biologist (Research) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Endangered Species Research Pro-
gram, Patixent Wildlife Research Center. Field Station, 4195 Maurice Drive. Detray Beach. Florida 33445.

SYKES, P. W.,JR. 1984. The Range of the Snail.Kite and its history in Florida. Bull. Florida
State Mus., Biol. Sci. 29(6):211-264.



212 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

que los gavilanes de Florida y Cuba son inseparables, 61 asign6 el tevis de Cuba a la
subespecie plumbeus. Este artfculo es favorable a esta opini6n.

Las areas de distribuci6n del gavildn caracolero y sus subespecies estan representa(las
en cuatro mapas basados en una detallada revisi6n de la literatura e informaci6n propor-
cionada por ornitalogos trabajando en o visitando diferentes regiones del Hemisferio Oc-
cidental.

La distribucidn del gavildn caracolero en Florida ha sido trazada en un mapa en de-
talle. La distribuci6n original y presente en Florida es.mostra(la. La distribuci6n presente
se estim6 como aproximadamente un 9% de la original. Las descripciones legales de las
localidades usadas por los gavilanes durante el periodo 1968-1980 se enumeran en el
Apdndice 2.

Registr65 del gavilan caracolero desde 1844 hasta 1980 en los Estados Unidos indican
su presencia en 80 localidades en Florida, 1 en Georgia y 3 en Texas. Las localidades en
Florida se numeran en la Figura 15 y se agrupan en 12 sistemas naturales de drenaje, 3
regiones y 6 divisiones polfticas. El listado de los registros es lo mas completo posible.

La distribuci6n y datos hist6ricos en Florida fueron obtenidos en base a una revisi6n
de la literatura, una cuidadosa investigaci6n de material preservado en museos y colec-
ciones privadas en los Estados Unidos, Canadd, M6xico y Europa, observaciones de campo
a trav65 del Estado por el autor desde el otofo de 1967 hasta el final de diciembre de 1980
y la ayuda de colaboradores. Las colecciones en las que no se encontraron gavilanes cara-
coleros de Florida se listan en el Ap6ndice 1. En el Ap6ndice 3 se presenta una lista
completa del material preservado oriundo de Florida. El material incluye 159 plumajes y
montajes, 148 juegos de huevos y 1 esqueleto. Aparentemente no existen especfmenes en
pie del gavildn caracolero en Florida. La informaci6n listada en el Ap6ndice 3 incluye la
localidad en la que el material fue coleccionado, fecha, ntimero de catdlogo, instituci6n a
cargo y sexo. El numero de plumajes y huevos en cada instituci6n se lista en el Cuadro 1.
Los gavilanes caracoleros han sido registrados en 33 condados de Florida.

Durante el perfodo 1968-1980, las dreas de Florida Inds importantes para el gavildn
caracolero fueron el pantano del lado oeste del Lago Okeechoee (Fig. 9) y los sectores este
y sur del Area de Conservacidn GA (CA3A) (Fig. 13). Los hdbitats en estas dos areas
deberfan ser preservados para asf garantizar que sigan siendo adecuados para esta especie.



TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . 214
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................. ............... 216
THE RANGE....................... ...... .....,.,..,,..,..,.,,.....,..217

THE SUBSPECIES AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION. ............... ...... 217
Florida Snail Kite (R. s. plumbeus) 217
Mexican Snail Kite (R.s.major) 218
Southern Snail Kite (R. s. sociabilis).............. ,..., .,...,,........220

RANGE AND HISTORY IN FLORIDA 221
ORIGINAL RANGE IN FLORIDA ............... .... ,....,,,,..,., ,.,..,, 222
PRESENT RANGE INFLORIDA (1968-1980)................ ........, ,....,..,225
THE HISTORICAL RECORD IN FLORIDA WITH SIGHTINGS ELSEWHERE

IN THE UNITED STATES .......... ............................. ....234
GULF COASTAL BEND....................,,,,. ..,,...,..,......,. 235
OKLAWAHA RIVER DRAINAGE.............. .....,....., ., .,.,,,........ 237
WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER DRAINAGE .. .......... .................. 237

CHASSAHOWITZKA RIVER DRAINAGE ............. ..,.,. ,.......... . 238
ST. JOHNS RIVER DRAINAGE 238
INDIAN RIVER DRAINAGE. ..............

PINELLAS COUNTY 240
MANATEE COUNTY .... ..............,.., ..... .. 240
SARASOTA COUNTY. ... 240
DESOTO COUNTY . ................ ,. ,. . 240
KISSIMMEE RIVER VALLEY....,....... ,..,.....,. .,... ,.....,,...241
THE SAVANNAS ............. .,..............,..,.......,.· ··.....·····.241.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE 242
CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER DRAINAGE AND VICINITY .. .........,.,.., . 243
LOXAHATCHEE SLOUGH ( = LOXAHATCHEE MARSH) AND WEST PALM BEACH .. 244
PALM BEACH COUNTY ................. ,...... ..,,....,. ,,,.,.,...,,, 245
THE BIG CYPRESS REGION AND VICINITY....... .....,....,., ,..,,.. ,.245
THE EVERGLADES.. ·· ········...... .................... .. ..245

SOUTHERN- FLORIDA .... .............,.,..... ,...,.,., ...,.,.,.., ,,.252
FLORIDA KEYS ...............,..,.····..······ ············· ······· 252

STATE OFFLORIDA...................,...., ,.., ,....,..,.,.,,..,., 253
RECORDS IN THE UNITED STATES OUTSIDE FLORIDA .,..,......,....,.... 253

LITERATURE CITED......,.............., ,,..,...,.....,. ...... 253
APPENDICES..........,..,..,...., ,. ,.. ....,.........,,,,.,.,..,..256



214 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

INTRODUCTION

The Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus Ridgway) in the United
States is for the most part unique to Florida. It is a medium-sized raptor,
about 43 cm in length with a wingspread of 115 cm, that inhabits fresh-
water marshes and ranks among the most specialized of raptorial birds in
its food requirements. The greatly deeurved, narrow, sharp-tipped up-
per mandible is highly adapted for extracting the soft parts of snails from
their shells (Sykes 1978). In Florida the kite feeds almost exclusively on
the freshwater apple snail (Pomacea paludosa) (Sykes and Kale 1974),
which is available to the birds only when the marshes are flooded. Be-
cause of drainage and other modifications to its habitat, the kite popula-
tion has declined since the early 1900's.

Adults of the species are sexually dimorphic, with females slightly larger
than males. The adult male is slate gray with black wing tips. The square
tail is black with a large white patch at its base and a narrow white ter-
minal band. The unfeathered soft parts of the adult male are orange-red
and become more intense during the breeding season. The eyes of adults
are red and immatures brown. The females and immature males are brown
and buffy above with the underparts white to buffy and heavily streaked
with dark brown. The tail pattern of the brown-plumaged birds is similar
to that of the adult male. The color of the soft parts of all females and
immature males ranges from yellow to orange.

The Snail Kite, unknown to William Bartram, Alexander Wilson, and
John Audubon, was first found in Florida 29 April 1844 by Edward Har-
ris (1844) when he collected an idimature male near the headwaters of
the Miami River. C. J. Maynard secured the type specimen for the sub-
species plumbeus at this same general locality 25 March 1871 (Baird et
al. 1874, Deignan 1961). Many specimens and eggs have been collected,
and numerous sight records exist for localities scattered over the penin-
sula and in the Gulf Coastal Bend region. Many of these data have never
been published and are summarized here for the first time. A complete
list of specimens from Florida is presented in Appendix 3, and the sight
records are included in the historical section.

Howell (1932) was the first to detail the species' distribution in the
United States. He stated that it bred in Florida from the southern tip of
the peninsula northward to Panasoffkee and Crescent lakes and listed a
number of localities for which there were breeding records as well as
other known occurrences. Some 20 years later Alexander Sprunt, Jr. (1954)
believed that practically the entire population was confined to the south-
western part of Lake Okeechobee. Stieglitz and Thompson (1967) briefly
summarized kite distribution for the early and mid 1960's. Howell (1932)



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 215

and these authors cited the steady loss of habitat that began in the early
1900's. This situation resulted in a substantial reduction of the population
and a corresponding decrease in the range. The Snail Kite in Florida was
declared endangered in 1966 by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Committee on Rare and Endangered Species 1966). Because of this crit-
ical status, a study was begun to document what had taken place in the
past, what was happening at present, and how the problems might be
solved. Some of the results of this study are presented here. Other pa-
pers dealing with aspects of the kite's life history and ecology are in prep-
aration.

From 1967 through 1980, I made a thorough search of museum collec-
tions, examined the literature for all available information on Snail Kites,
conducted annual censuses, and made detailed field observations. The
field work also included an aerial survey of most freshwater marshes of
the peninsula and the Gulf Coastal Bend region. On-site inspections were
made in the most promising habitats. Observations and field assistance
by cooperators supplemented my field efforts. I visited 16 museum col-
lections in the United States to examine kite specimens from Florida.
Curators of an additional 126 private and public collections were con-
tacted by letter in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. Un-
published data were obtained from the files of governmental agencies,
educational institutions, private organizations, and from the field note-
books of individuals.

This publication describes: (1) The range of the Rostrhamus sociabilis
and its subspecies in the world; (2) the original range of the species in
Florida; (3) the present range in Florida; (4) the historical record in Flor-
ida by specific localities within their respective hydrological system, re-
gion, or political division; and (5) a listing of all known skins, mounts,
skeletons, and egg sets from Florida.

Abbreviations used for curatorial institutions are in Table 1.
Since 1981, the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge has been the

clearinghouse for all Snail Kite sightings in Florida. Anyone seeing a
Snail Kite should report the sighting to: Loxahatchee National Wildlife
Refuge, Route 1, Box 278, Boynton Beach, FL 33437. Telephone: AC
305 732-3684. All sightings should include the date, locality (be as spe-
cifc as possible), name(s), mailing address(es), and telephone number(s)
of observer(s), description of the appearance of the kite, the number of
individuals seen, type of optics, if any, used to view the kite, was it pho-
tographed, habitat in which the kite was observed, what was it doing
when seen (perched, flying, soaring, hunting, etc.), estimated distance
of bird from the observer, and any other relevant data. These types of
information are essential to determine the reliability of each record.



216 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have drawn freely upon the unpublished notes of Roderick Chandler, National Au-
dubon Society, Okeechobee, Florida; Norman E. Holgefsen, U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Delray Beach, Florida; Joseph C. Howell, University ofTennessee, Department
of Zoology, Knoxville; John C. Ogden, National Audubon Society, Research Department,
Tavernier, Florida; Alexander Sprunt, Jr., National Audubon Society, Charleston, South
Carolina; and Herbert L. Stoddard, Sr., Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, Flor-
ida. Alexander (Sandy) Sprunt, IX National Audubon Society, Research Department, Tav-
ernier, and Thomas W Martin, Jr., Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Boynton Beach,
Florida, kindly provided unpublished materials from their files. Ray C. Erickson, U. S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland, super-
vised the project and offered advice and direction. Lynda J  Garrett, U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and Cynthia H. Plockelman, South
Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, provided published literature and
helped locate obscure references.

Many persons generously helped with the field work, contributed observations, sub-
mitted data from curated collections under their care, made data and materials available,
and aided in numerous other ways. Without their assistance this undertaking would not
have been possible. They include: C. S. Adkisson. J  David Albury, Gordon D. Alcorn,
Susan Allen, James Angy, Oliver L. Austin, Jr., W. Wilson Baker, Richard C. Banks, Jon
C. Barlow, Oron L. Bass, Jr., Charles B. Buhrman, Laurence.C. Binford, Richard J
Blakeway, William J  Bolte, S. I. Bond, David Bowman, John Brooks, Dan B. Bull, Eu-
gene A: Cardiff, Joseph D. Carroll, Jr., Wilfredo F. Castillo, Roderick Chandler, L. Carl-
ton Chappell, Earl F. Cook, Robert S. Cook, J. W. Diedrich. Earl E. Diemer, J. Walter
Dineen, James B, Dixon, John H. Doebel, Paul G. DuMont, John R. Eadie, David H.
Ellis, Louis F. Gainey, Sidney A. Gauthreaux, Jr., Herbert Gee, Frank B. Gill, W Earl
Godfrey, Robert L. Goodrick, Ken Gordy, Samuel A. Grimes, W Grant Guthrie, Warren
G. Hagenbuck, Janet A. Hamber, James W Hardee, Greg J. Harrison, A. Ronald Hight,
Steven L. Hilty, Hugh V Hines, Thomas R. Howell, Nelson D. Hoy, John R Hubbard,
James H. Hunt, Gloria S. Hunter, Martin T Hurdle, George Iannarone, A. I. Ivanov,
Ned K, Johnson, Joseph E. Johnston, Herbert W Kale, II, Ralph M. Keel, Jr., Walter J.
Kenner, Lloyd F. Kiff, R M. Lais, Howard P. Langridge, Roxie C. Laybourne, James N.
Layne, Frank J. Ligas, John Lindell, Elizabeth C. Linderman, Fred E. Lohrer, Terry
Macky, Thomas W Martin, Jr., Robert A. Martz, Travis C. Meitzen, James F. M illeson,
John J. Morony, Jr., Kenneth Morrison, Bertram G. Murray, Jr., Edward C. Murczek,
Kent E. Myers, John C. Ogden, John R O'Neill, Oscar T. Owre, Theodore A. Parker,
Kenneth C. Parkes, Robert B. Payne, Raymond A. Paynter, Jr., Henry W Palzl, Gary L
Pesnell, David W Peterson, James E. Pilgreen, Raymond H. Plockelman, Jr., John G.
Powell, Ernest Provost, Jack Purvis, Roy Raymond, Carl H. Richter, William B. Robert-
son, Jr., James A. Rodgers, Jn, Charles H. Rogers, Even L. Rude, Robert R Russell, Jr.,
Albert E. Sanders, Sanford D. Schemnitz, George D. Schrimper, Albert Schwartz, Rob-
ert W. Slattery, Paul Slud, Walter Smith, Ronald C. Snider, David W Snow, Barton M.
Snyder, Helen A. Snyder, Noel F. R. Snyder, Roger A. Spaulding, Alexander Sprunt, IV,
Henry M. Stevenson, Louis A. Stimson, Charles W Strickland, Joan J. Sykes, Wesley J.
Sykes, W Ernest Taylor, Donald E. Temple, Richard L. Thompson, EarI E. Tolonen,
Milton B. Trautman, Melvin A. Traylor, Richard H. Turner, John S. Weske, Ira E. West-
brook, Sanford R. Wilbur, David E. Willard, James M. Williams, Erwin Winte, John S
Wise, L. R. Wolfe, Kevin A. Wood, and Ruth E. Young.

Ray C. Erickson; Gary L  Hensler, Cameron B. Kepler, H. Randolph Perry, Chandler
S, Robbins, William B. Robertson, Jr., and Henry M. Stevenson reviewed early drafts of



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 217

the manuscript and offered suggestions for its improvement. Peggy Teahan kindly did the
typing.

To all these friends and colleagues, I extend my deep appreciation.

THE RANGE
THE SUBSPECIES AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION

The Snail Kite, Rostrhamus sociabilis (Vieillot), of the Family ACCIP-
ITRIDAE, Subfamily MILYINAE (true kites), is a wide-ranging New
World species found primarily in lowland freshwater marshes in tropical
and subtropical America from Florida, Cuba, and Mexico south to Ar-
gentina and Peru (Fig. 1). Except for Cuba and Trinidad, it is absent from
the islands of the Caribbean (Friedmann 1950).

Hellmayr and Conover (1949) and Friedmann (1950) recognize four
subspecies: (1) the Florida Snail Kite, R. s. plumbeus Ridgway; (2) the
Cuban Snail Kite, R. s. lelia Friedmann; (3) the Mexican Snail Kite, R
s . major Nelson and Goldman ; and (4) the Southern Snail Kite , R . s .
sociabilis (Vieillot). For descriptions of these see Friedmann (1950). The
plumages of the subspecies are the same, and bill, wing, and tarsus mea-
surements overlap considerably (Friedmann 1950). Recently Amadon
(1975) reexamined the taxonomic status of the four subspecies and con-
cluded that plumbeus and leuis are not distinct. He synonymized levis
with plumbeus, with which I agree. As size is the only character distin-
guishing the subspecies (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950)
and the measurements exhibit overlap, the separation of this species into
subspecies is still open to question. For example, the birds of Honduras
currently assigned to the subspecies sociabilis are intermediate in size
between the South American sociabilis and major and measure about
the same as plumbeus (Monroe 1968).

FLORIDA SNAIL KITE (A.S. plumbeus)

R. s. plumbeus is found locally in peninsular Florida (Howell 1932,
Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950). It is locally common in
Cuba (Fig. 2) at Artemisa, San Cristobal, Lake Ariguanabo, Lake Solis,
Lake Tesoro, the Zapata marshes, and the lower Cauto River Basin, and
rather rare in the Lanier Marshes and at Santa Rosalia on the Isle of
Pines (Barbour 1943, Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950, Bond
1956, Schwartz and Klinilowski 1963, Garrido and Montafia 1975, Albert
Schwartz pers. comm.). Of an estimated population of 50 to 100 Snail
Kites at Lake Guama in the Zapata Marsh region, 28 were seen at one
time in mid-June 1978 (James F. Clements pers. comm.). Distribution of
this form in Florida is treated in detail in the next section.



218 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

United Slotes

Troplc ol Cancer

Me~co'

f elize
ondurai

0 0 Caribbean Seo
Gu a *emeta Allontic Ocean

Nicarague
Trinided

C.1. Rice ~ bvene:uela 4-0
P.....  urinom

0 French Guiona

• Colombia
Ewator

Ecuador

Brazil

Peru
P..1/1. Ocean

Bolivia

,A
Tioplc of Capricorn PX

*0

Argent~na

Uruguay

~ 0 Range
Allan,Ic Ocean

Figure 1.-The range of the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis).

MEXICAN SNAIL KITE (R . s . major)

R. s. major (Fig. 3) is local in eastern and southern Mexico in the
states of Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Quintana
Roo (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950, Blake 1953, Binford



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 219

PINAR DEL..0 Z•polo ~Lokj To,oro

L"' Gwom ./ ~~a I

CI/IIU.I

•lok' 5011§ 2

C.. 2
0 5.0 .,100 .1.8
6 * ;60 .ao h 1=1 . B.ng. 0/ENTE

Figure 2.-The range of Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus in Cuba.

1968, Edwards 1972, Peterson 1973, John C. Ogden pers. comm.); in
Belize from New River and Hill Bank Lagoon south to Stann Creek (Rus-
sell 1964); and in Guatemala in the Peten District and at Panzos (Hell-
mayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950, Land 1963, 1970).

Gulf 0/ Mexico

YUCATANN
Legend

~~ QUINTANAW Range 
ROO····Mexican State Boundaries

VERACRUZ CAMPECHE

PUESLA, 
TABASCO H

MEXICO
BELIZE

OAXACA CHIAPAS

Scale
GUATEMALA

0 50 190 190 200 miles HONDURASsb 160 iso 260 250 ~6~ km

EL SALVADOR

Pacific Ocean

Figure 3.-The range of Rostrhamus sociabilis major in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.
Suitable kite habitat is very local in much of the region shown.



220 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

SOUTHERN SNAIL KITE (R . S. sociabilis)

R. s. sociabilis is scarce in Central America in Honduras, Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, and Panama (Fig. 4). In Honduras it is known from Laguna
Toloa and Lake Yojoa (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950,
and Monroe 1968); in Nicaragua at Rivas, Isla de Omet6pe, Rio San Juan
del Norte, and Los Sabalos (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann
1950, Thomas R. Howell pers. comm.); in Costa Rica on the lower Rio
Frfo Drainage, in the Tempisque Basin primarily in the Guanacaste
Marshes near Bebed6ro and Palo Verde, on the upper Nicoya Peninsula
at Bolson and Santa Cruz, and on the Osa Peninsula (Hellmayr and Con-
over 1949, Friedmann 1950, Slud 1964, Collett 1977, Paul Slud pers.
comm. ); and in Panama at Perm6 (Griscom 1932, Hellmayr and Conover
1949, Friedmann 1950, Wetmore 1965, Ridgely 1976), with recent re-
cords at Gualaca and Tocumen and breeding near Remedios (Ridgely
1976).

R. s. sociabilis is common locally throughout South America (Fig. 1)
south to Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, central Argentina, and Uruguay and
east to Trinidad and eastern Brazil (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Fried-
mann 1950, John R O'Neill pers. comm.). It has not been recorded from
the Guyana Massif nor the Brazilian Plateau. In Colombia it is f6und in
the tropical lower Magdalena Basin and generally east of the Andes (but
local), and rarely to the temperate zone of the marshy highland basin at
Bogota, Cauca Valley at Lago de Sonso near Cali, and Remedios (Fried-
mann 1950, Steven L. Hilty pers. comm.). In Ecuador it has been re-
corded west of the Andes at Yaguachi marshes near Guyaquil, at Baba-
hoyo, and Vinces and east of the Andes along the Rio Napo (Hellmayr
and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950, John R O'Neill pers. comm.). In
northeastern Peru it is reported from Pebas (Friedmann 1950) and in the
Department of Loreto at Yarinacocha (John R O'Neill pers. comm.). In
Venezuela, it is found in the tropical zone from Zulia and Apure east to
Delta Amacuro and to the south bank of the Orinoco River in northern
Bolivar; and it probably occurs throughout the country in suitable habitat
(Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950, Meyer de Schauensee
and Phelps 1978). It occurs in Trinidad as a rare visitor at Nariva Swamp
and Caroni Marshes (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950,
ffrench 1973). It is found commonly in the coastal lowlands of Guyana
(Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950, Ndel F. R. Snyder pers.
comm.), Surinam (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950, Hav-
erschmidt 1968), and French Guiana (Hellmayr and Conover 1949,
Friedmann 1950).

R. s. sociabilis is found generally throughout Brazil, except on the
Brazilian Plateau. It is widespread in the Amazon basin as well as from
the latitude of Cuiaba in Mato Grosso southward, and in the lowlands of



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 221

1 eBELIZE

GUATEMALA *
Scall

5.0 1.0 .0 
1 #
s 
i

ek, i60 * .60 280 360 1~rn

HONDURAS

EL SALVADOR Legend

e......
NICARAGUA

Leke N.-.ua CARIBBEAN SEA

41. de Imn~t•Po ./
Lo. lillies
*# San ~uan del Noit*

Lo-cr .. ..

..0,/ ...1.... COSTA RICA
Cena'

' PANAMA
, P......10.

P. cillc 0# on
COLOMBIA

Figure 4.-The range of Rostrhamus sociabilis sociabilis in Middle America. Suitable kite

habitat is very local in much of the region shown.

the southeastern coast (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950).
In Bolivia it is found in the departments of Beni and Santa Cruz, in
Paraguay in the eastern two-thirds of the country, and throughout much
of Uruguay (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950, John P. O'Neill
pers. comm.). In Argentina, it occurs in the provinces of Formosa, Chaco,
Santiago del Estero, Tueuman, Cordoba, Santa Fe, Misiones, Cor-
rientes, Entre Rios, and Buenos Aires (Hellmayr and Conover 1949,
Friedmann 1950), where it is reported to be extremely abundant in the
northeastern part of the province (Susan Allen, Paul G. DuMont, and
Theodore A. Parker pers. comm.).

RANGE AND HISTORY IN FLORIDA

This section contains most of the records of the Snail Kite in Florida,
from its discovery in 1844 through 1980, as documented by preserved
catalogued materials in museum collections, published accounts in the
literature, and sight records judged reliable.

Preserved Snail Kite materials from Florida are housed in 36 collec-
tions in four countries; 32 in the United States, 2 in Canada, and 1 each



222 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

in England and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The known ex-
tant materials, totaling 308 units, are listed in Table 1. This material in-
cludes 159 skins and mounts, 148 egg sets, and only 1 skeleton; I am
not aware of the existence of any fluid (whole) specimens from Florida. I
feel that I have located most of the existing kite materials originating
from the state. Curated collections with no Snail Kite material from Flor-
ida are listed in Appendix 1.

ORIGINAL 1UNGE IN FLORIDA

The range of the Snail Kite in Florida prior to 1910 is shown in Figure
5. The principal areas included: (1) The lower Wacissa River in Jefferson
County (Wayne 1895), (2) Lake Panasoffkee in Sumter County (Scott 1881);
(3) the upper reaches of the St. Johns River from Volusia and Lake coun-
ties southward to the headwaters in southern Brevard, Indian River, and
northwestern St. Lucie counties; (4) the Kissimmee River Valley from
Osceola County south to northern Glades and southwestern Okeechobee
counties; (5) the west (Glades Co.) and south (Hendry and Palm Beach
cos.) sides of Lake Okeechobee; (6) the Caloosahatchee River drainage
from north-central Lee County upstream to Lake Hicpochee (Glades and
Hendry cos.); (7) the Loxahatchee Slough and West Palm Beach area
south to Lake Ida in Delray Beach in eastern Palm Beach County; (8) the
Everglades from the west, south, and east sides of Lake Okeechobee
south to the mangrove forest at the southern end of the peninsula, west
of the Atlantic coastal ridge and east of the Big Cypress, and including
parts of Glades, Hendry, Palm Beach, Broward, Collier, Monroe, and
Dade counties; (9) Okaloachoochee Slough in Hendry and Collier coun-
ties; and (10) the marshes in Collier and Monroe counties to the south-
west of the Big Cypress and inland of the mangrove forest.

Additional places from which kites were recorded from 1910 to 1967
(black triangles in Fig. 5) include the Wakulla River, Wakulla County
(Howell 1932, Stevenson 195la, b); St. Marks N. W R., Wakulla County
(Stoddard 1950); Micanopy, Alachua County (Swann 1934); Emeralda
Marsh, Lake County (Howell 1932); Chassahowitzka River, Citrus County
(Howell 1932); vicinity of Jacksonville, Duval County (Boardman 1884,
Grimes 1944); near Crescent Lake, Putnam County (Howell 1932); Lake
Norris, Lake County (Howell 1932); Sebastian River, Brevard and Indian
River counties; southern Indian River, St. Lucie County; Lake Butler (=
Lake Tarpon), Pinellas County; Manatee County; Sarasota, Sarasota County
(Stevenson 1955a); DeSoto County; and Ft. Myers, Lee County.

Other areas in the peninsula where kites probably occurred (?'s in Fig.
5), but for which evidence is lacking, are the Orange and Lochloosa lakes
region (Micanopy is in the vicinity) in southeastern Alachua County; the



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 223

GEORGIA r-%-~r: FLORIDA

0/VAL

r

1

0
3
1
*
3
W
 

J
O
 

J
i
n
e

..

I Orlando

A
T

L
A

N
T

IC
 

O
C

E
A

Ill i ' AEVARD

7 .16..fl.

-
0
 

1„
EL
LA
S 

I

Wmel

2  Jehn' RI,-
POLK

MAN"" r --.., h ~ Ve,0 Beoch

A ......  4
ST·

Lok.

ww6a-p- LEE '. Weil Polm hoch

Scole .
0 25 50 75 100 -11•. A ' Fl, LadMWI

1 ---a
0 40 80 120 160 4 24'=, 90. 3...""

Legend i: I
? P..116¢i Original Ron,• L... Coue, hunderm

.% I. 0·9 *86'312 .,
Figure 5.-The original range of the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) in Flor-
ida. Selected counties are shown with their present boundaries.

Lake Tsala Apopka region of eastern Citrus County; the numerous lakes
in southern Lake, throughout Orange and Polk, and northwestern High-
lands counties; the marsh on the north side of Lake Apopka, Lake and



224 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

Orange counties, near the present town of Zellwood; the Myakka River
(area within the present Myakka River State Park), southeastern DeSoto
County; the Corkscrew Marsh, Lee and Collier counties; the small sloughs
scattered through the Big Cypress region; the Savannas in eastern St.
Lucie County; the Allapattah Flats of southwestern St. Lucie, western
Martin, and northeentral Palm Beach counties; and the Hungryland Slough
in northern Palm Beach County between Loxahatchee Slough and the
northeastern part of the Everglades.

Kites have been recorded in 33 Florida counties (Table 2). This listing
is based on present county boundaries. Some of the boundaries have
changed over the years as new counties were established from parts of
the older counties (Whitefield 1975). Between 1844 and 1949, kites were
recorded in 33 (49%) of the 67 counties of Florida. From 1950 through
1967 they were reported in only 10 (15%) of the counties, and from 1968
to 1980 the birds were observed in 16 (24%) of the counties.

Details of the nesting distribution for the kite in Florida are incom-
plete. Howell (1932:168) gave the following general account of the for-
mer breeding range: "Breeds locally in the southern and central parts,
north (formerly) to Panasoffkee Lake and Crescent Lake. Recorded from
the Wacissa River and probably bred in that vicinity. Recently it has been
found nesting on the Wakulla River. The birds formerly bred and win-
tered abundantly in many parts of the Everglades, but at present they
are restricted to a few localities that are unaffected by drainage opera-
tions. '

The single breeding record for the Gulf Coastal Bend is on the Wak-
ulla River (Howell 1932). On the peninsula, the northernmost breeding
record is at Mieanopy, Alachua County (Swann 1934). In the north-cen-
tral peninsula, kites were thought to nest in Emeralda Marsh, Lake County
(Howell 1932). Howell (1932) listed breeding at Lake Panasoffkee, Sum-
ter County, and at Crescent Lake, Putnam County. For the latter, the
label of an egg set at the U. S. National Museum gives the locality "near
Crescent City." This town lies on the west side of the lake. I am unaware
of the evidence of actual breeding at Lake Panasoffkee other than the
fact that at least 22 specimens (9 males, 12 females, and 1 unsexed) were
collected there in February and March 1876 (Appendix 3). With this
number of birds present during the breeding season, one could reason-
ably assume nesting in the vicinity. The species has also been reported
breeding at Lake Norris, Lake County.

Kites were known to nest extensively along the upper St. Johns River
and its headwaters (Nicholson 1926, Howell 1932). This included the
marsh south of Lake Washington, Brevard County, south through Indian
River County into northwestern St. Lucie County. That part of the St.
Johns Marsh in the vicinity of Fellsmere and that west of Vero Beach,



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 225

both in Indian River County, were particularly well known nesting areas.
At least 42 egg sets were collected on the headwaters (Appendix 3),

All nesting activity at Lake Okeechobee has been confined to the large
marsh on the west side, from the present site of the city of Clewiston
north to the mouth of the Kissimmee River. This marsh is in Hendry,
Glades, and Okeechobee counties. No nesting is recorded for the re-
mainder of the lake, including Ritta, Kreamer, and Torry islands on the
southeastern side in Palm Beach County. At least 19 sets of eggs have
been collected on the lake over the years. Kites formerly bred along the
Caloosahatchee River Drainage upstream to Lake Hicpochee in Lee,
Hendry, and Glades counties.

The Snail Kite formerly nested throughout the Everglades Basin and
in the Big Cypress Region in Okaloachoochee Slough in Hendry, Collier,
and Monroe counties (Howell 1932, Appendix 3).

Loxahatchee Slough or Marsh and the marshes that formerly existed
in the West Palm Beach area of Palm Beach County were well known
breeding sites. At least 23 egg sets were collected in these marshes up
to the early 1920's.

Localities where kites have probably bred in the past and for which
no documentation exists include the following: the Wacissa River, Jeffer-
son County; the Lake Tsala Apopka region, Citrus County; the marsh
that was formerly on the north side of Lake Apopka, Lake and Orange
counties; the middle reaches of the St. Johns River in Volusia, Lake,
Seminole, Orange, and northern Brevard counties; the Savannas, St. Lucie
County; the Kissimmee River Valley, Orange, Polk, Osceola, Highlands,
and Okeechobee counties; Allapattah Flats, St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm
Beach counties; marshes along the Myakka River, Manatee and Sarasota
counties; and sloughs scattered through the Big Cypress Region, mainly
Collier County.

Counties having evidence of breeding in the historic past are listed in
Table 2. Changes in county boundaries over the years have been consid-
ered. Kites have nested in at least 16 (24%) Florida counties, and prob-
ably in at least 11 others (Citrus, Highlands, Jefferson, Manatee, Martin,
Orange, Osceola, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, and Volusia).

PRESENT RANGE IN FLORIDA (1968-1980)

The present range of the Snail Kite in Florida (Fig. 6) is shown in
detail in Figures 7 through 14. The legal descriptions of habitats cur-
rently used by kites are in Appendix 2. The estimate of the present range
is based upon data obtained from 1968 to 1980 and comprises approxi-
mately 9% of the original range.

From time to time individuals are seen for short periods outside the



226 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

GEORGIA
FLORIDA

0

e

4 
4*"

MtaMLIND*
.C l....51-1/.

........

0  -4444 '../.-....

0
3
'
X
'
W

O
C
E
A
N

C.

0

0 40 80 120 1*0 6- 44::.. I l.......

L.g.md

I i.'- ....
0

'

Figure 6.-The range of the Snail Kite in Florida, 1968-1980.

mapped areas but within the original range. This is particularly true fol-
lowing completion of nesting activities and during drought conditions.
The birds in Florida are nomadic (Sykes 1978, 1979). For this reason
most localities are not in continuous use and some are occupied only
infrequently.

From 1950 through 1967, kites nested in 5 (7%) counties, and from



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 227

1
..',...

*2/ *
0

t
0

Est ·,S ~40,4 /
,

'4.
Cll .. 1

'4 INDIAN AIVEA
0 ST. LUCIE

Cll.., ......

I j/ '. *Z= 1
lilid L.al - r. 67

Figure 7.-Snail Kite range (1968-1980) on the reservoirs on the headwaters of the St.
Johns River, Indian River and St. Lucie counties.

1968 through 1980 in 6 (9%). Counties in which recent breeding has
occurred are listed in Table 2.

On the headwaters of the St. Johns River (Figs. 6 and 7), nesting is in
parts of the St. Johns, Cloud Lake, and Strazzulla reservoirs. Nesting in
the Savannas (Fig. 8) is at two localities. At Lake Okeechobee (Fig. 9),
nesting is primarily at Horse Island (Horse Island Cove and along the
edge of the main lake shore north from Horse Island), to the west and
northwest of Monkey Box between it and the channel to Sportsman Vil-
lage, on the west side of Observation Shoal east of Monkey Box, in the
vicinity of Turners Cove, between Observation Island and Moonshine
Bay, just north of the South Rim Canal from a point 4 km SW of Obser-
vation Island westward to within a kilometer of Moore Haven, and infre-
quently elsewhere. No actual nesting has been noted in the Lake Park



228 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

hoa_-l

% * --r :.7, N
.

to r:.5, «- 1 1 I O
Flo

ild
o

9- L.gInd

Il N.04 Ar.0
Canal.

a Dthes
Roads

4 Ro,Irwd

-' f

101

e

J

S..d

S.,0..0. _
 _-24

hc,~ollom P"k p *

Woolh.,6-

Scale
0 4 1 -1 1•8
1 1
0 0'3 1 1.

Figure 8. -Snail Kite range (1968-1980) in the northern part of the Savannas, St. Lucie
County.

Reservoir (Fig. 10) in recent years, but courtship display by two males
was seen there in the spring of 1977.

Nesting activity on the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Con-
servation Area 1 = CAl) (Fig. 11) has been on the eastern and southern



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 229

/

W
1,lend

Lakepol Lake Okeechobee
..#. a

0

ScIIe
0 123 4 miles

1 1
Ii#6466 km

Cochrane kii Legend

1£3 Ring®
~ Nesting AreaI

C.nall
rne- Cove Levees & Dikii

Roads

moore ,
 S ~-/ 0'' --,-,--- . -%2..,i-~F-- County BoundorlesHiven

alqor Rooil Sites

0 Porld.

L.ke

.lilli

OLAIES
~ENDRY el-»--ER--80 U S. 27

Figure 9.-Snail Kite range (1968-1980) on the west side of Lake Okeechobee in Glades,
Hendry, and Okeechobee counties.

sides. Nesting activity in Conservation Area 2A (CA2A) (Fig. 12) has been
in six general localities in the eastern half of the area. Most nesting is in
the largest of the six in the southeast corner. An occasional nest is found
outside of the six sites. Nesting in Conservation Area 2B (CA2B) (Fig.



230 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

L•gend Scale

1

- .Con.1.
 

00
Le...5 & DIkes

- R..d.

*04" R.'/r..d i i
''0

S.R.-809A

Lake Park *~34*6

Reservoir -...

d
u
 

n

Loz.hol.hee

rk.-4 6

o
p
 

o

S R.-704

S
.R

.-
7

Figure 10: -Snail Kite range (1968-1980) on the Lake Park Reservoir in the Loxahatchee
Slough, Palm Beach County.



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 231

S./·7

SA

&1. h-h CI/oI

US 441

N

1.3*2

) E - 812

Lotahotchee Nalional
S.5.·804

9 . 1.1...
Wildlife Refuge

5-6

5 R ·806

U 5,441

Los emd 5·10 D

W-1 0••.• SIR ·BOB
5-10 C

5-10
C.••15
L..... 6 Dth.a CA2A

PA L. lilli
.RO ...04,4,4 0

I W.'.f C-1.'1 51...'ll.0

M---am' U•,18

6/ MIll. 1.-1 51'.

Figure 11. -Snail Kite range (1968-1980) on the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
(Conservation Area 1), Palm Beach County.

12) was recorded in the southern sector within 1.25 km ofthe North New
River Canal.

In Conservation Area 3A (CA3A) (Fig. 13) nesting is primarily west of
L-67A in Dade County. Nesting is 4.5 km north of the Tamiami Trail in
the southeast corner and extends northeastward along L- 67A Canal for



232 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

\11 l...»d

S·6 I,1 R...•
'/ .~th'11$ 

o/ N-nq A,Hs

- Comoil

o
*

--- Co..1, Bouadorles

. w./.. c../..i 51.Ic,•r•.

P.mp/4 51.11-5

® R...1 5/I• t.·./1,4

'1 0 - M. W. a.

.0

./
- 4-

PAL. BEACH

BROWARD

CA2A

#'i, L-38£

CA3A
S-llc 

--.

1 s-,46
5-145

S..I. 5-118 5.1441 2'1 -il..
0123456 km 4'

CA28
S-11A

5·141

All'.01.i All., i. 4®

Nor#6Amd,lowm
CA3A

Figure 12.-Snail Kite range (1968-1980) in Conservation Areas 2A and 2B, Broward and
Palm Beach counties.



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 233

*0 4., CA

U Alley --44h...

Scale STSS> U 'il'm,L[y
.' , 4 \ 1 Andylown

1 2 3 1 .... , '.,B. t61*alae km zz s·n

Legend

~ .: 9~"'~ ~ Nesting AreSS ~ South New River Canal bi

Ki ' ~..,4 't/ ® Major Rooat Siles ~1 kih
1Levees & likes '~>~,- Roads

I.. County Boundaries
Water Control .).ures

/ Pumping Slatlons 8-151 SR·820ISE-6
 Er ,&

.~-----
-----

C= :

CA3A S-31

A- 11

..'a:''
,

Ah' .' "' CA 3 8 1 '

& 12*-S ./ , -- Abandon Canal

0 3,1 .--4'' -17-- ,.
 -.-1-1

1 -

/.
3-12 A S.,f 5- C 8-1 D I~ Tam#, 6" US 41

Everglades National Park :

Shark ValleyLoop Road U

Figure 13.-Snail Kite range (1968-1980) in Conservation Areas 3A and 3B, Broward and
Dade counties.

approximately 9.5 km and up to 4 km west. The southernmost nesting
site is just north of the Tamiami Trail and west of the Shark Valley Loop
Road entrance to the Everglades National Park. Two other nesting sites
were known in Broward County; one approximately 5.6 km WSW of the
intersection of the Miami and South New River Canals in T-51-S, R-37-
E and the other 7.1 km SW of Andytown in T-50-S, R-39-E. CA3A
together with Lake Okeechobee currently comprise the major nesting
areas for the kite in Florida. No nesting activity was recorded in Conser-



234 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

LIgI/d

1371
L--1 "".N i i ? 1Ii:346. .. ·····...'... Per ' *-44

& 01'.1

0--lilli, 8"mdi,1.,
Wal.f Control 0

11 11it 4/911. 112
r tr

CA3A .1 n1:.' i ~CA3 le

/1 4 NiA 5.1/ B 5-7 c Hio h
-

./ E¥.,glodes Nail. Park 11

$I.. Va[1., 
«iLoop R.cd

Figure 14. -Snail Kite range (1968-1980) in the northern part of the Everglades National
Park (excluding Taylor Slough) and the East Everglades, Dade County

vation Area 3B (CA3B) or the Everglades National Park (Fig. 14) during
the 1968-1980 period.

THE HISTORICAL RECORD IN FLORIDA WITH SIGHTINGS ELSEWHERE
IN THE UNITED STATES

In the United States the Snail Kite is generally found only in Florida,
but in the last decade sightings of wandering individuals have been re-
ported in Georgia and Texas. This section deals with specimens and sight
records for the three states in which the kite is known to occur. The
Florida records are treated first and comprise about 99% ofthe material.

The counties of origin for preserved Snail Kite material are in Table 3.
Seven counties account for 86% (excluding the 46 pieces listed as State
of Florida) of this material: Brevard 33 (13%), Broward and Dade-Bro-
ward 34 (13%), Dade 34 (13%), Glades 22 (8%), Indian River 35 (13%),
Palm Beach 47 (i8%), and Sumter 22 (8%). In some instances Broward
and Dade counties have been treated as one because Broward was a part



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 235

of Dade County until 1913 (Whitefield 1975), and label data are insuffi-
cient to determine the county of origin. Lee and Hendry counties were
grouped for the same reason.

Following the wane of extensive collecting in the 1920s and 1930s,
sight records became more prevalent and, since then, constitute the ma-
jority of the documentation for the species' distribution in the State. Al-
though this work by no means contains all the sight records for the kite
in Florida, it incorporates most of the important sightings that are be-
lieved accurate.

The individual records for Florida are grouped by regions or natural
drainage systems and, under these, by 80 localities with numbered des-
ignations. Records for each locality are listed chronologically. The refer-
ence from which each record was obtained is given with the listing. Where
no reference is given the observation was made by the author. The com-
plete reference for published records is given in the Literature Cited.
Each specimen record is followed by its catalogue number and deposi-
tory institution.

Prior to about 1900, the Snail Kite was probably found, at least in
years when water levels were high, in nearly all freshwater marshes con-
taining an apple snail (Pomacea paludosa) population from about 29°15'
north latitude south throughout the peninsula of Florida to the mangrove
forests at its southern tip. There are a number of gaps in our knowledge
of the distribution of this species in Florida. Only relatively recent access
to much of the kite habitat has been made possible by a modern road
system and the development of mechanized transportation, but by then
much of the original kite habitat had been lost as a result of widespread
drainage. Therefore, most of the early kite records are from the periph-
ery of the larger marshes, usually near natural water courses or along
existing transportation routes. The interior of the Everglades and other
vast marshes were extremely dimcult to penetrate for any distance until
development of the airboat with its flat bottom and air-thrust engine in
the 19405.

The localities in Florida where Snail Kites have been recorded (Fig.
15) are numbered from north to south. Localities numbered 73, 78, and
80 are not shown in Figure 15 as they refer to broad geographic regions.

GULF COASTAL BEND

1. WAKULLA RIVER. The first Snail Kite recorded on the river was a

male seen hunting 0.8 km downstream from Wakulla Springs by Herbert
L. Stoddard, Sr., Paul L. Errington, and Ralph King on 3 April 1929. On
9 May of that same year Stoddard and Mrs. W D. Richardson found a
nest with eggs. The two birds were last seen on 9 June 1929 (Howell



236 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

GEORGIA
FLORIDA

2

€)
5

12

13 156

9

00,Aiw 17
0

18

20

22

36

O @

3842
CA~0019"Cm '1 1 37

1.40 e® @@ @m.e®@4@ @@
@

58 60
64

'' @ t)~0@5 e,,
77

69 68

4
Ct . /71

Figure 15.-Localities in Florida at which Snail Kites have been recorded. The number-
ing system corresponds to the localities in the text.



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 237

1932, Herbert L. Stoddard, Sr., unpubl. notes). Although visited by nat-
uralists and birders regularly, no other birds were reported at this local-
ity until December 1950 through early March 1951, when a lone individ-
ual (female or immature male) was seen during much of that period and
recorded on the St. Marks Christmas Bird Count of 28 December
(Brookfield 1951, Stevenson 195la, 195lb, Henry M. Stevenson pers.
comm.).

2. ST. MARKS N.WR. The only records for the refuge are 3 sightings
between 15 May and 18 July 1950 in Stony Bayou and vicinity (Wakulla
County) by Herbert L. Stoddard, Sr., and H. L. Beadel (Stoddard 1950,
unpubl. notes). This is probably the same individual that was at Wakulla
Springs December 1950 to March 1951.

3. WACISSA RIVER. Arthur T Wayne (1895) found Snail Kites to be
..exceedingly common on the Wacissa River from April through at least
21 May 1894. During this period he secured about 20 specimens. I have
located 7 (3 males, 2 females, 2 unsexed) of these (Appendix 3). Major
Charles E. Bendire in a letter to Wayne (1895) indicated he believed
"There must be a colony of them breeding within forty or fifty miles of
the Wacissa River. This was never substantiated and there appear to be
no records of this species on the river since Wayne's visit in 1894.

OKLAWAHA RIVER DRAINAGE

4. MICANOPY. H. H. Simpson collected a clutch of eggs (CM 4914) at
Micanopy, Alachua County, on 4 December 1919 (Swann 1934). Exactly
where the nest was located in the Micanopy area is not known.

5. PAYNE'S LANDING. During the period 13 August 1971 through 7
April 1972, David Bowman (pers. comm.) noted one to two individuals
near Payne's Landing, Marion County, on the Oklawaha River. These
sightings were made following the severe spring drought of 1971 in
southern Florida and are believed to represent wandering individuals.

6. EMERALDA MARSH. Howell (1932) saw an adult and an immature in

the Emeralda Marsh, northern Lake and southern Marion counties, be-
tween Lake Griffin and Lake Yale on 9 May 1925. He believed the im-
mature was from a nest in the vicinity.

WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER DRAINAGE

7. WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER DRAINAGE. During the 1971 drought
Thomas W Martin, Jr. (pers. comm.), saw a bird on 6 May near the S.
R. 44 bridge across the Withlacoochee River on the Sumter-Citrus County
line. The bird's presence at this locality is believed to be a result of dis-
persal associated with the drought.



238 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

8. L~KE PANASOFFKEE. In February and March 1876 W E. D. Scott
(1881) found kites abundant at Lake Panasoffkee. He had 19 in view on
one occasion. I have located 22 specimens (9 males, 12 females, 1,un-
sexed; Appendix 3) that he collected at the lake on this trip. Howell
(1932) found no kites there in June 1925, nor did I on 4 May and 7-8
June 1972 and 5 June 1973. There appear to be no records at the lake
since Scott's time.

CHASSAHOWITZKA RIVER DRAINAGE
9. CHASSAHOWITZKA RIVER. I could find only one record for the river,

a specimen [location unknown] taken in the spring of 1918 (Howell 1932).

ST. JOHNS RIVER DRAINAGE

10. JACKSONVILLE AND VICINITY. Three specimens [present location
unknown] were taken near Jacksonville in [circa February] 1884 and were
to have been mounted (Boardman 1884, Grimes 1944). There have been
no records for this area since that time (Samuel A. Grimes pers. comm.).

11. CRESCENT CITY AND VICINITY. An incomplete clutch of one egg
(USNM 28048) in fresh condition was collected near Crescent City in
1894. This set was originally part of the William L. Ralph Collection, and
the record is cited by Howell (1932).

12. LAKE WOODRUFF N,W. R. In 1968 Kent A. Meyers (pers. comm.)
saw two birds in Management Unit 1 on 12 February and on 2 April.
Marvin T Hurdle, Matthew C. Perry, and I saw a lone individual along
Spring Garden creek at the west end ofJones Island on 12 May 1971.

13. L~KE NORRIS. Howell (1932) reported that B. M. Kinser recorded
a pair breeding on the lake in the spring of 1925. No further details
concerning this record are known.

14. WEKIVA RIVER. S. F Baird collected a male (FMNH 37652) on 2
July and a female (USNM 72815) on 5 July 1876. Brewster (1881) re-
corded the species at a "prairie" on the river on 19 March 1877, and a
brown bird was photographed on the Seminole County side of the river
by John H. Storer in company of Edward M. Davis in May 1938 (Mason
1939).

15. LAKE MONROE. G. B. Frazer collected a male (FMNH 37654) on
4 February 1883.

16. L~KE HARNEY. A pair was seen in the spring of 1957 on the Sem-
inole County side of the lake by Hall Tennis (files of Natl. Audubon Soc.,
Tavernier, Fla.)

17. TOSOHATCHEE STATE RESERVE. A brown plumaged kite was seen
by Robert D. Barber (pers. comm.), Ted Robinson, and others along the
power line road in the northern part of the reserve on the west side of
the St. Johns River, Orange County, on 21 July 1979.



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 239

18. BREVARD COUNTY. Four kites were collected between 5 January
and 15 April 1889 and stomach contents examined (Baker 1889). I do not
know if any of this material was preserved. A male (UMMZ 62039) and a
female (UMMZ 62040) were collected by C. J. Pennock on 30 March
1924, and a male (MCZ 252440) was taken by J. B. Semple on 30 March
1930. No specific locality was given for this material other than the county.

19, WEST OF MELBOURNE. D. J. Nicholson (1926) saw 5 kites feeding
along the Kissimmee-Melbourne Road (U. S. Hwy. 192) across the St.
Johns River Marsh about 11 km west of Melbourne on 13 May 1925.
Henry Redding collected 2 clutches of eggs (WFVZ 16326, MNHOS 4797)
for D, J. Nicholson on the St. Johns Marsh south of Lake Washington on
7 May 1926.

20, ST. JOHNS MARSH. William L. Dawson collected a clutch of eggs
(AMNH 6961) on the St. Johns Marsh on 5 March 1927. Bent (1937)
reported seeing 5-6 pairs and an empty nest on the St. Johns Marsh on
20 March 1930. In the spring of 1950 Nicholson (1951) watched kites that
behaved as iffeeding young, but no nest was found nor were young seen.

21, HEADWATERS OF THE ST. JOHNS RIVER. Howell (1932:169) stated
«

that in the spring of 1923 kites were... breeding in considerable num-
bers in various parts of the big marsh near the headwaters of the St.
Johns River in Brevard and St. Lucie Counties" [also Indian River County].
In May of that year 7 specimens (3 males, 2 females, 2 unsexed juveniles)
were collected 16 km west of Malabar (Appendix 3). From April 1925
through May 1931, 39 clutches of eggs and 14 specimens (11 males, 3
females) were taken, mainly in the vicinity of Fellsmere. According to
D. J. Nicholson 12 pairs were breeding in the marshes near Fellsmere
in late April 1925 (Howell 1932). Joseph C. Howell (pers. comm.) found
kites to be numerous on the St. Johns in 1927, and that year Arthur H.
Howell (1932) listed about 30 nests in the area. In 1928 and 1929 no kite
nests were found on the headwaters marsh, but in 1931, 5 pairs nested
in the area (Joseph C. Howell pers. comm.). \

With the completion of State Road 60 from Vero Beach to Yeehaw
Junction across the headwaters of the St. Johns River in 1931, sightings
and nesting activity were recorded in that portion of the marsh. From
1932 through 1935, 6 nests were located, one nestling and 2 egg sets
were collected, and several sightings were made in the vicinity of Route
60. There were no reports from this area again until March and April
1951, when 20+ kites were observed and 2 young seen flying about and
being fed by adults on 13 April 1951 (Nicholson 1951). A lone individual
was seen 22.5 km west of Vero Beach along Route 60 in November 1960
(Mason 1965).

Since the spring of 1969, kites have been seen regularly at the St.
Johns, Cloud Lake, and Strazzulla reservoirs. In the spring of 1972, Her-
bert W Kale, II, and I found a nest in the St. Johns Reservoir and saw



240 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

up to 19 birds. In 1973 there were 2 nests in Strazzulla and 4 in St. Johns
reservoirs; in 1974, 4 nests in St. Johns, 3 in Cloud Lake, and 1 in Straz-
zulla; and in 1975, 1 nest in Strazzulla. No nests were found on the St.
Johns in 1976, and the region was not checked thoroughly from 1977 1
through 1980. No kites were recorded in the area on annual censuses
from 1974 through 1980.

INDIAN RIVER DRAINAGE

22. SEBASTIAN RIVER. A male was collected by W E Henninger on
the river on 28 March 1898 and is now mounted (OSM 5443).

23. INDIAN RIVER. A female (ROM 35683) was taken on the southern
part of the river in the summer of 1874.

PINELLAS COUNTY

24. TARPON SPRINGS. W S. Dickerson collected an adult male (ANSP
45611) at Lake Butler [ =Lake Tarpon] on 10 May 1895.

MANATEE COUNTY

25. MANATEE COUNTY. A male (MCZ 226057) was taken on 19 De-
cember 1886 and a female (FMNH 37651) the following day somewhere
in Manatee County.

SARASOTA COUNTY

26. SARASOTA. Virginia Thier (jide Charles Preston) observed a kite
at Sarasota, 20-27 November 1954 (Stevenson 1955a).

27. MYAKKA RIVER STATE PARK. Walter J. Kenner (pers. comm.) re-
ported a kite on the north side of Rookery Road and about 3 km east of
the park drive on 26 February 1969. An adult male was seen perched on
a fencepost 2-3 km east of the park along S. R. 72 on 24 August 1979
(Robert L. Dye and Ken C. Alvarez pers. comm.).

DESOTO COUNTY
28. DESOTo COUNTY. A male and female (BMNH 1890-4-28-249

and 1890-4-28-250) were taken by W R. Dean somewhere in DeSoto
County on 8 March 1888. DeSoto County was formed from eastern Man-
atee County in 1887, and in 1921 it, in turn, was divided to form the
present counties of DeSoto, Charlotte, Glades, Hardee, and Highlands.
The labels on the two specimens list only DeSoto County, so the specific
locality at which they were collected within the five-county region is
unknown.



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 241

KISSIMMEE RIVER VALLEY

29. LAKE TOHOPEKALIGA AND VICINITY. A female (USNM 151034)
was collected on 18 February 1895 by O. Tollin in the Lake Tohopekaliga
and Cypress Lake area, Oseeola County. Tollin also collected a male
(USNM 151035) at Little Marsh, Osceola County, on 10 May ofthat year
and another male (USNM 151033) in the vicinity ofthe lakes on 30 May.
I am not aware of any records in this area again until E. Bostleman's
report of a bird at Lake Tohopekaliga 1-30 March 1975 (Stevenson 1975).

30. L~KE KISSIMMEE. A bird was seen at Rabbit Island in late May
1973 by Kenneth Morrison (Joseph D. Carroll, Jr., pers. comm.). On 24
November 1980, James A. Rodgers, Jr., and I observed one kite along
the northeast shore on the annual kite census.

31. KISSIMMEE PRAIRIE. Fargo (1934) reported a specimen taken on
the prairie by Walter J. Hoxie in November 1888 [exact collection local-
ity and present whereabouts of specimen unknown].

32. LAKE ARBUCKLE. Wilson (1971) reported a kite on the south shore
of Lake Arbuckle in southern Polk County on 27 May 1971.

33. LAKE ISTOKPOGA. In June 1972, Katherine and Miriam Beck sighted
a kite in the marsh on the west shore of the lake and took photographs
(Kodachromes FK4289-4299 Archbold Biol. Sta., Lake Placid, Florida,
James N. Layne pers. comm.). Another was seen at the same place in
December 1973 by Miriam Beck (Fred E. Lohrer pers. comm.).

34. KISSIMMEE RIVER. A Mr. Riggs collected a female (FMNH 37653)
on the river in February 1888. No further details on the collecting site
are known.

35· DE:SOTO PRAIRIE. Hugh V. Hines (pers. comm.) saw a late near
the Blue Head Ranch in southwestern Highlands County, south of S.R.
70 from a low flying plane, in early November 1967.

THE SAVANNAS

36. THE SAVANNAS. Ruth E. Young (pers. comm.) saw a male kite at
the north end of the Savannas on 2 and 9 June 1974. An adult male was
seen by Helen and William Dowling and others, just north of Midway
Road at Ft. Pierce from 29 to 31 March 1977 (Gloria Hunter pers. comm.).
The Dowlings and I saw four birds in the north end of the Savannas on 6
and 13 May 1977. On 6 May we saw one or more fledglings being fed in
the marsh by one pair, but the nest was not located. Two kites were seen
on the annual census of 16 November 1977, and three were recorded on
the census of6 December 1978. Helen and William Dowling (pers. comm.)
found an active nest approximately 100 m north of the Lake Harbor branch
of the Florida East Coast Railroad track on 13 January 1979, and on 26
January the nest contained an undetermined number of small young being



242 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

fed. No kites were found on the annual census in 1979, but a brown bird
was recorded on 25 November of the 1980 census.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE

37. EAST SIDE OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE. From 22 January until 1 April
1957, Glenn Chandler observed up to 4 kites in the vicinity of Kreamer
and Torry islands (files of Nat. Audubon Soc., Tavernier, Fla.) on the
southeastern side of the lake. I am not aware of any other Snail Kite
records on the east side.

38. WEST SIDE OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE. The earliest record of the kite
at the lake was in November 1884, when a male (FMNH 130047) was
collected. This specimen was originally in the Bishop Collection and the
collector is unknown. The first nest with eggs was found on 20 April 1906
(SBCM 9631). From 1906 through 1913, 2 specimens (female, MVZ 6518,
male MVZ 6517) and 6 sets of eggs were taken on the lake (Appendix 3).

No kites were reported from the lake after May 1913 until late January
1938. This hiatus in the records may be the result of a lack of ornithol-
ogical work in that part of the lake occupied by the species rather than
their absence for that 24-year period. Alexander Sprunt, Jr., began rou-
tine observations in the region in 1935 that continued until 1963, gen-
erally from October through April (Alexander Sprunt, IX pers. comm.).
On 23 January 1938 he reported a kite at Worm Cove. In March he saw
3 at this same place (Alexander Sprunt, Jr., unpubl. field notes). Ten
active nests were found in the spring of 1938 on Redlight Reef [Obser-
vation Reef or Shoal] (Sprunt 1945, Samuel A. Grimes pers. comm.).
From 1939 through 1950, numerous kite sightings were made, and 1
female specimen and 5 egg sets were collected (Appendix 3). The esti-
mate of 100 kites in the Lake Okeechobee region in 1950, attributed to
L. T. Stem (Bauer 1967), is either a misprint or a gross overestimate. The
highest reliable figure reported on the lake during this period was 27
individuals and 10 nests in 1941 (Schroder 1948, 1953) and 12 birds in
March 1950 (Skelton 1951).

For the period 1951-1960, the greatest number of kites reported was
11 in 1956 (Wachenfeld 1956), and in that same year 7 nests were found
(files of Natl. Audubon Soc., Tavernier, Fla.). Kites were reported each
year during this 10-year period except in 1952 and 1954. During this
period 7 clutches of eggs were collected on the lake; the last on 4 Feb-
ruary 1956 by D. J. Nicholson (Dixon Coll. 20-3). From 1961 to 1970,
numerous sightings were made, with up to 6 birds seen at a time (1962
and 1968) and 7 nests were located. Charles E. Carter collected a clutch
of eggs (Snyder Coll. 1121) from one ofthese nests at Moonshine Bay on
18 April 1961.



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 243

Since the 1971 drought, kites have used Lake Okeechobee almost
continually and in increasing numbers: 31 in May 1971, 11 in December
1972, 42 in May 1973 (Rod Chandler pers. comm.), 41 in April 1974, and
39 in April 1975 (Rod Chandler field notes). Annual censusing produced
the following results: 34 in November 1975, 51 in December 1976, 48 in
November 1977, 46 in December 1978, 114 in November 1979, and 214
in December 1980. Breeding activity has also increased: 5 nests in 1972,
28 in 1973 (Chandler and Anderson 1974), and 23 each in 1974, 1975,
and 1976 (Rod Chandler pers. comm.). The nest totals for each year in-
clude renesting attempts. The marsh on the west side of Lake Okeecho-
bee in eastern Glades County represents the second most important habitat
for kites in Florida.

CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER DRAINAGE AND VICINITY

39. LEE COUNTY. A male (UF 2408) was collected in March 1904 by
R. D. Hoyt. A clutch of eggs (MCZ 8483) was taken from a nest in sawgrass
bordering a lake on 20 April 1914 by Oscar E. Baynard. Loren Brown
collected 2 clutches (AMNH 6962 and 8124) in March 1923 for R B.
Philipp. No specific localities were given for these sets.

40. CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER. J. E George collected a female (FMNH
130044) on the river on 14 January 1885. Scott (1892) described the kite
as a resident breeding species of the Caloosahatchee Region during his
visit there from 21 November 1891 to 26 April 1892. A female (AMNH
352056) was taken on the river on 14 April 1907. In 1909, major chan-
nelization of the river began (Elliot 1955), and the marshes along the
river course were destroyed. I am aware of no recent records.

41. LAKE HICPOCHEE. On 9 April 1906, Ike Shaw collected two clutches
of eggs (WFVZ 12951, Hoy Coll. N/3) for John L. Childs near Lake
Okeechobee [the locality for these sets is believed to be Lake Hicpo-
chee]. Phelps (1912) reported seeing several kites near the lake in March
1912, and Howell (1932) stated that kites were found in numbers around
the lake prior to 1932. The only recent record is of two I saw there on 31
May 1971.

42. LAKE FLIRT. A Mr. Hancock collected a set of eggs (WFVZ 52226)
for R. D. Hoyt on 14 April 1907 near Lake Flirt. The lake and surround-
ing marshes were destroyed when major channelization began on the
Caloosahatchee River in 1909 (Elliot 1955).

43. SOUTH OF LABELLE. Howell (1932) saw what he thought to be a
mated pair in a marsh surrounded by pinewoods 21 km southeast of
LaBelle on 14 April 1919.

44. FT. MYERS. A female (MPM 5852), now mounted and on display
at the Milwaukee Public Museum, was collected on 10 February 1895



244 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

near Ft. Myers by Edward E. Voss. Two clutches of eggs (WFVZ 12948,
DMNH 10688) were collected there by Ike Shaw on 1 June 1913. An-
other clutch (NMC E 1154) was secured near Ft. Myers on 10 April 1914.
No kites have been recorded in the area since 1914.

LOXAHATCHEE SLOUGH (= LOXAHATCHEE MARSH) AND WEST PALM
BEACH

45. LOXAHATCHEE SLOUGH AND WEST PALM BEACH. Prior to the
1940s, marshes bordering Clear Lake and Lake Mangonia in West Palm
Beach were physically connected by marsh to the Loxahatchee Slough
to the west and northwest and were essentially one large wetland com-
munity (Earl Diemer pers. comm.). Because the slough and West Palm
Beach marsh were physically connected, the historical records are treated
together.

W Heim collected a male (FMNH 16321) in the freshwater marsh
west of Palm Beach on 2 March 1896. A male (FMNH 16324) was taken
on 28 March 1897 at Palm Beach and another (FMNH 20903) on 5 April
at Jupiter. From 12 April through 20 July 1897, 13 clutches of eggs (Ap-
pendix 3) were taken in the area. Additional clutches were taken, one
(USNM 29477) on 17 April 1901, and another (WFVZ 16327) on 10 April
1911. C. R Ryman collected a clutch of eggs (WFVZ 94927) on 1 May
1913, at Palm Beach, and Howell (1932) listed two nests in Loxahatchee
Marsh on 16 June 1913. A mounted male [no catalog number] was taken
on 6 June 1916, and is now at the Museum of Natural History, University
of Iowa. L. C. Sanford took a male (FMNH 59187) on 20 April 1917 and
a female (AMNH 9672) on 20 March 1920. In 1921 Howell (1932) re-
ported that 1dtes were breeding abundantly in Loxahatchee Marsh. From
26 February through 11 May of that year at least 7 egg sets and 13 spec-
imens (8 males, 5 females) were collected (Appendix 3). Will Lancier
collected a male (DMNH 4971, mounted and on display) on 16 January
1922. Howell (1932) could find no kites in the marsh in the spring of
1923, but Hobart Collins secured a juvenile female (VPI 3918) there on
7 February 1927. I know of no kite records in the area from 1927 until
the spring of 1970, when Herbert Gee (pers. comm.) sighted one or
more in the Lake Park Reservoir. In 1975, Ray H. Plockelman, Jr. (pers.
comm.), saw one in July on the reservoir, and I found a male there on
the annual kite census (27 November). On 27 May 1976 Plockelman (pers.
comm.) saw 3 in the reservoir, and on 13-14 December 1976, I recorded
2 on the annual census. I saw 6 kites in the reservoir on 20 May 1977,
and 2 of the 3 males 'were in aerial eourtship displays. No kites were
found during the annual censuses in 1977-1980.



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 245

PALM BEACH COUNTY
46, BOYNTON BEACH. During the peak of the 1971 drought, I saw a

kite flying over Land O'Sun Citrus Groves, 0.4 km west of the Florida
Turnpike and 2.3 km south of State Road 804, west of Boynton Beach on
11 May.

THE BIG C¥PRESS REGION AND VICINITY
47. OKALOACOOCHEE SLOUGH. J. F. Menge secured a clutch of eggs

at Bonnet Lake, Lee County, on 23 April 1890. Tom Hand and Frederic
H. Kennard sighted several kites on Okaloacoochee Slough on 18 March
1914 (Kennard 1915). I know of no records on the slough since, but very
little field work has been done there over the years. The slough and its
drainage basin are now dry much of the year due to extensive drainage.

48. NAPLES. Howell (1932) listed a specimen [location unknown] taken
at Naples about 1 March 1918.

49. OCHOPEE. Louis A. Stimson saw a kite over the marsh south of
the Tamiami Trail at Ochopee, Collier County, on 3-4 April 1963 (Mason
1965).

50. MONROE STATION. During the peak of the 1971 drought, George
Sites saw a kite along the Tamiami Trail 9.7 km west of Monroe Station,
Collier County, on 17 May (John C. Ogden pers. comm.).

51. MONROE COUNTY. J. B. Ellis collected a clutch of eggs (UF 1105)
in the county in April 1900. The specific locality was not given.

THE EVERGLADES

52. EVE:RGLADES EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE. W

F. Sanford collected an immature male (AMNH 750121) in the Ever-
glades east of Lake Okeechobee on 4 March 1913. On 1 May 1913 C. P.
Ryman collected a clutch of eggs (WFVZ 94927) and 2 specimens south-
east of Lake Okeechobee for the Wheeler Brothers. The locations of the
specimens are unknown.

53.64 KM WEST OF WEST PALM BEACH. Ike Lee collected a clutch of
eggs (USNM 45861) for H. H. Bailey 64 km west of West Palm Beach on
26 February 1921.

54. EVE:RGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA, Sprunt (1942) reported four

nests in a marsh south of Clewiston on 2 and 9 November 1941. Two
kites were seen south of Little Bare Beach, Palm Beach County, flying
over sugarcane fields in January 1956 (Alexander Sprunt, IX pers. comm.).
I saw a brown plumaged bird around a small pond in a pasture on the
north side of U. S. Hwy. 27, 6.4 km west of Clewiston, Hendry County,



246 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

from 31 May through 23 September 1971.
55. LOXAHATCHEE N. W. R. The refuge comprises all of Conservation

Area 1 and two tracts adjoining the conservation area, one on the east
(Compartments A, B, and C, 267 ha) and the other on the southwest
(Compartment D, 526 ha). The Loxahatchee N.WR. should not be con-
fused with the Loxahatchee Slough, or Marsh, which lies to the north-
east of the refuge in the same county. Stieglitz and Thompson (1967:6)
made this mistake in interpreting the accounts in Howell (1932) and Bent
(1937). The southern part of the refuge occupies that part of the Ever-
glades known as the Hillsboro Marsh. The refuge was created on 1 Jan-
uary 1951 (Cooperative Lease Agreement between the U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control
District, 1 January 1951). No kites were recorded in this area before it
became a refuge, probably because access was too difficult. From 1951
through 1960, occasional sightings of 1 to 3 kites were recorded annually
on the refuge (Refuge Narrative Reports 1951-1960), except in 1954, ~
1955, 1958, and 1960. During the 1961-1970 period, frequent sightings
were made on the refuge: 2 kites in 1961 and 1962, 7 individuals and 5
nests (only 2 used) in 1963, 19 and 1 nest in 1964, none in 1965, 13 in I
1966, none in 1967 and 1968, 31 in 1969, and 46 and 11 nests in 1970.
Kites were recorded each year from 1971 through 1980. A maximum of
6 kites was seen on the refuge in 1971, 4 in 1972, 21 in 1973, 28 and 8
nests in 1974, 20 and 3 nests in 1975, 6 to 10 and 1 nest in 1976, 5 in
1977, 3 in 1978, and 1-2 in 1979 and 1980. None was recorded on the
1980 annual census in December.

56. CONSERVATION AREA ZA (CAZA). Although kites obviously have
occurred in that part of the Everglades that is now CA2A, the earliest
report for which we can be absolutely certain was the sighting of a male
north of Big Rubber Tree Island (central part of the area) by Frank Ligas
(pers. comm.) on 4 October 1957. There were no other reports until
Richard L. Thompson and Walter O. Stieglitz saw 8 on 24 August 1965
(Stevenson 1966). In February 1966 Stieglitz and Thompson (1967) re-
ported 21 birds. For the remainder of 1966, Norman Holgersen saw 4 to
20 kites (unpubl. field notes). In the first half of 1967, 4 to 9 kites were
seen regularly (Norman Holgersen unpubl. B eld notes), and 3 nests were
found by Earl Diemer (pers. comm.). On 28 October 1967, Earl Diemer
and I saw 39 kites in CA2A. Throughout 1968 I saw 20 to 50 + kites in
the area and located 11 nests. Up to 89 kites and 15 nests were recorded
in 1969. During the 1968-1969 period most of the Florida population
was in CA2A. Four nests and 24 birds were seen in 1970. In 1971, the
year of the big drought, 43 kites were seen but no nesting occurred.
Since 1971 kite use in CA2A has drastically diminished with a maximum
of 7 in 1972, none in 1973, 2 in 1974, 7 in 1975, 5 in 1976, 2 in 1977, and



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 247

none reported in 1978, 1979, or 1980. The Central and Southern Florida
Flood Control District (now South Florida Water Management District)
lowered the water level in the spring and early summer of 1973 as a
management procedure (J. Walter Dineen pers. comm.), and most of the
area was dry for several months. There was no nesting in CA2A during
the 1970-1980 period.

57. CONSERVATION AREA 2B (CA2B). As in CA2A, kites undoubtedly
occurred historically in what is now CA2B, but data prior to 1968 are
lacking. I saw no kites there in 1968 and 1969. In 1970, 20 were seen, 1
nest located, and 2 females were found shot in late December (skin, UM
6500, J. Walter Dineen pers. comm.; skeleton, UMMZ 216657 , Roger
A. Martz and Bertram G. Murray, Jr., pers. comm.). On 28 January 1971,
20 birds were sighted, but none was seen again until 12 December 1978,
when 6 were counted on the annual census. Then on the annual census
of 8 November 1979, 41 birds were counted along the southern and east-
ern edge of the area. The annual census on 7-8 December 1980 revealed
115 kites in the same parts of CA2B as in 1979.

58. NEw RIVER CANAL. W R. Collins collected a female (UMMZ
62045) on New River Canal on 15 April 1913. Exactly where along the
96.5 km-long canal was not specified.

59. 6~ KM SOUTH OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE. J. F. Menge collected a
clutch of eggs (WFVZ 12949) in the Everglades 64 km south of [Lake]
Okeechobee on 28 March 1898. This location may have been in what is
now CA3A.

60, HEAD OF NEW RIVER. Sidney S. Holt collected a male (PMNH
6799) at the head of New River in the Everglades on 25 January 1897.

61. CONSERVATION AREA 3A (CA)A). As in Loxahatchee N.W. R.,
CAZA, and CA2B, kites undoubtedly occurred in what is now CA3A, but
data prior to 1954 are lacking. Frank Ligas (pers. comm.) saw 2 kites
along levee 637 west ofJomo City on 11 October 1954. This settlement
was formerly along U. S. Hwy. 27 just south of Andytown. Ligas (pers.
comm., Stevenson 1958) sighted single birds along Hwy. 27 from Andy-
town to the Miami Canal in 1955, 1956, and 1959. Janice (Mrs. W J.)
Bolte photographed a kite near Andytown in mid-August 1960 (Robert-
son and Paulson 1961, Bolte 1961). In the summer of 1961, Ligas saw 1
to 3 birds near Andytown (Robertson 1961, Stevenson 1962). Three stayed
at the same locality in the winter of 1961-1962 (Bles of U. S. Fish & Wild-
life Service, Delray Beach, Fla.). Erwin Winte and Lee Cunningham
saw a kite on 15 and 29 September 1963 between water-control struc-
tures S-12-A and S-12-B along the Tamiami Trail (U. S. Hwy. 41) in the
southern part of CA3A (Cunningham 1964), and Earl Moore sighted 2
kites approximately 9.7 km northeast of40-mile Bend in December 1965
(files of Everglades Natl. Park, Homestead, Fla.). From late May through



248 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

28 October 1967 up to 6 birds were seen in southeast CA3A near the
Tamiami Trail by many observers (John C. Ogden pers. comm., Steven-
son 1968), including the author. Two were seen along levee L- 67A just
north of the trail on 4 July 1968. A bird was seen in southern CA3A on 6
June 1969 but was not found there on the annual kite census in early
December.

From 1970 through 1980, the heaviest kite use in Florida was in the
southern and southeastern parts of CA3A. The increase in kite use in
CA3A since 1974 has been in direct proportion to the overall population
increases. It has been the major kite breeding ground since 1976.

Two kites were seen 8 km south of Alligator Alley and about 6.4 km
west of the Miami Canal on 19 January 1970, with a nest there that spring.
This was the first nest found in CABA. In late 1970 I counted 65 birds in
the southeastern sector (24 September) and 51 in the southern and
southwestern sectors (30 November-2 December). In 1971, 36 were re-
corded in CA3A on 3-5 February, 10 in the southern part on 13 March,
5 along the Trail on 19 April, and 4 in the southeast corner on 19 May.
R. Curry counted 44 at a roost in southeast CA3A on 18 July 1971 (Ogden
1971). S. D. Schemnitz (pers. comm.) saw 3 birds along L-28 south of
Alligator Alley on the west side of the area on 7-13 October 1971. I saw
7 in southern and eastern Area 3 on 25 October, 12 in the same general
locality on 7 November, and 39 on the annual census 9-10 December.

In 1972, S. D. Schemnitz (pers. comm.) also saw one 5.6 km west of
water structure S-12-D along the Tamiami Trail on 9 January and 1 along
the Miami Canal near the South New River Canal on 18 January. On 10-
11 May that year 15 were recorded in CA3A. Through May, June, and
July single birds were seen along the Trail and levee L-67A. William B.
Robertson, Jr. (pers. comm.) saw a kite in south-central CA3A from a low
flying plane on 20 October, and I recorded 15 in eastern and southern
CA3A on 26 October. During 1972 Charles and Ella Newell (1973) saw
up to 8 kites along Alligator Alley from the vicinity of the toll gate at
Andytown west for several kilometers. The annual census on 18 Decem-
ber 1972 recorded 53 in southern CA3A. In January and February 1973,
1 to 2 were seen in the southeastern corner. On annual censuses, 63 kites
were recorded in 1973, 48 in 1974, and 62 in 1975. During the spring of
1976, 10+ nests were discovered, and up to 34 kites were seen in the
eastern part of the area in March. This was only the second time kites
were documented nesting in CA3A. In December 1976, 84 kites were
recorded on the annual census, and 7+ nests were in progress at that
time. More than 50 kites were seen on 19 May 1977 in eastern CA3A
and nesting activities continued. The annual census that year of 19-20
November revealed 100 birds. During 1978, nesting activity in this area
surpassed anything recorded before in Florida. By mid-April Noel F. R.



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 249

Snyder and I had located 50+ active nests. Nesting activity continued
through the summer. The annual census on 12-18 December tallied 212
kites, reflecting the results of this increased nesting activity. The popu-
lation increase in CA3A continued, with 273 on the annual census in
1979 and 305 in 1980.

62. TAMIAMI TRAIL. Bent (1937) saw a kite just north of the Tamiami
Trail on the western edge ofthe Everglades in March 1930. This sighting
might possibly have been in what is now CA3A near 40-mile Bend. CA3A
was created by the completion of the levee system in June 1965 (Anony-
mous 1965).

63. CONSERVATION AREA 3B (CA3B). Kites were observed periodi-
cally from 1970 to 1980 along the west edge of CA3B, primarily between
levees L-67A and L-67( andin the southwest corner.

64. EAST OF CONSERVATION AREA 38. A bird was seen at the inter-
section of U. S. Hwy. 27 and State Road 820 (Hollywood Road), Broward
County, by Clark Olson and George Brown on 10 June 1967 (John C.
Ogden pers. comm.).

65. HEAD OF MIAMI RIVER AND VICINITY. Edward Harris (1844) col-
lected an immature male (ANSP 1942) near the head of the Miami River
on 29 April 1844 in what at that time was the eastern edge of the Ever-
glades. This was the first record of the Snail Kite in the United States.
The locality is near the rapids on the north fork of the Miami River. The
rapids existed until circa 1909; they were destroyed when the Miami
Canal was dug (Hart 1975). According to Parker et al. (1955) this site is
just west of the present NW 27th Avenue Bridge in the City of Miami
and approximately 2.4 km east of the Miami International Airport.

A. L. Heerman collected 4 specimens in the same general locality at
the head of the Miami River on 6 May 1848 (Howell 1932). USNM 11955
is probably one of these (Deignan 1961). On 18 February 1870 C. J.
Maynard saw a kite and on 28 February secured 3 specimens [present
locations of which are unknown], and found a partly completed nest near
the river in the Everglades (Baird et al. 1874). On 24 March 1870, May-
nard found a second nest and collected the one egg (MCZ 4260; clutch
incomplete) and the female of this nest (Baird et al. 1874). A female
(Zool. Institute, Acad. Sci., Leningrad, 132960) was taken on 3 March
1871, with the locality marked "Miami" and no collector listed. This
specimen was acquired from the MCZ, Harvard (A. I. Ivanov pers.
comm.). On 25 March 1871, Maynard collected a male (USNM 61187)
near the head of the Miami River in the Everglades. This is the type
specimen for R. s. plumbeus (Baird et al. 1874). On 16 March 1883, E.
W Montreuil collected 2 downy chicks (unsexed) (MCZ 208238 and
BMNH 1887-5-1-1009), a male (MCZ 208236), a female (MCZ 208237),
and a clutch of eggs (AMNH 424; Bailey 1884), all in the Everglades near



250 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

Miami. A juvenile male (UMMZ 12146) and an unsexed brown bird
(SDNMH 19910) were taken in the winter of 1884 on the Miami River
and a female (AMNH 470952) at the same locality on 10 December 1884.
An Indian collected a clutch of eggs (USNM 28428)for W L. Ralph near
Miami on 5 March 1897, and an immature male (PMNH 8775) was taken
at that locality on 20 May 1899. A local guide presented A. C. Bent
(1937) a set of eggs (UF 52273)  and a specimen (unsexed) that were col-
lected near Miami on 28 April 1903. The location ofthis skin is unknown.
On 2 March 1904, J. E George secured a juvenile female (FMNH 130045)
and a juvenile male (FMNH 130046) at Miami. W S. Dickerson col-
lected 4 specimens near Miami in early October 1904, a female (MCZ
300635) on 2 October and 2 females (MCZ 300635 and ROM 35684) and
a male (AMNH 352055) on 5 October.

66. DADE COUNTY. Dade County was established 4 February 1836,
and until the early 1900s comprised what is now Broward, Dade, and
Palm Beach counties. Palm Beach County separated from Dade on 30
April 1909 and Broward from Dade on 30 April 1915. The following re-
cords list only Dade County for the locality. W B. Porter collected a set
of eggs (USNM 24842) on 15 April 1891 and J. T Albritton took an adult
male (MCZ 252439) on 28 April 1903. Froml912 through 1915, 21 clutches
of eggs were listed as taken in Dade County, and 2 more clutches were
secured in March 1917 (Appendix 3).

67. PARADISE KEY AND VICINITY. Paradise Key is on Taylor Slough
in the southern part of the Everglades. In 1915 the area became Royal
Palm State Park, which, in turn, became part ofthe Everglades National
Park in 1947 (Tebeau 1971). Bent (1937) reported a small breeding colony
of kites near there in 1904, and Mrs. Hiram Byrd had a sighting on 21
May 1915. Other early records include a pair seen there on 26-27 Janu-
ary 1918 (Howell 1921), one found there by Arthur H. Howell on 19 June
1918, and several sightings in October 1918 by Charles A. Mosier, Park
Warden (Howell 1921). H. H. Bailey collected a male (VPI 2215) south
of Royal Palm State Park on 3 January 1925, and A. H. Howell (1932)
secured a female (MVZ 80895) at the hammock 1 December 1928 and
saw another kite there the next day.

68. CUTHBERT LAKE. A. C. Bent and Herbert K. Job saw 6 kites at a
roost at Cuthbert Lake on 1 May 1903 (Dutcher 1904, Job 1905). The
Lake is at the inland edge of the mangrove forest and at the southern
end of the true Everglades.

69. NORTHEAST OF WEST LAKE. J. C. Howell (unpubl. field note-
book) saw 2 kites about 5 km northeast of West Lake in the southern
Everglades on 28 March 1934.

70. EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK (ENP). The park was established
in 1947 (Tebeau 1971). Paradise Key, Cuthbert Lake, West Lake, 64 km



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 251

southwest of Miami, headwaters of Harney River, head of Shark River,
and Big Sawgrass are all within the present boundary of the park.

Erwin Winte saw a Snail Kite 1.6 km east of Onion Slough on 2 June
1948 (files ENP), and Charles Brookfield (1949) saw one at Taylor Slough
near Paradise Key on 30 October that same year. Winte (files ENP) re-
ported seeing single birds in Shark Valley on 19 December 1954 and at
the headwaters of the Shark River on 8 January 1955. He saw 1 or more
birds south of the Tamiami Trail in March and April 1955 (Stevenson
1955b) and 2 at the 7-mile fire tower in Shark Valley on 19 April 1955.
Winte and Lee Chamberlain saw a kite just south of water control struc-
tures S-12-A and B in the northern part of the park on 29 September
1963 (Cunningham 1964). M. Holden and Ralph Miele saw 3 kites along
levee L- 67 extension in the northeastern part of the park on 17 May
1967 (John C. Ogden pers. comm.). On 8 July 1967, Ogden saw a bird
over Royal Palm Visitor Center and in that part of the park called the
Hole-in-the-Donut. Winte saw 3 on the west side of levee L-67 exten-
sion about 8 km south of the Tamiami Trail on 9 July; two days later
Ogden and William B. Robertson, Jr., saw 2 in the same place. On 21
July 1967 Miele and Ogden saw 2 hunting over Taylor Slough, 2.4 km
south of Royal Palm Visitor Center (John C. Ogden pers. comm.). Park
rangers reported up to 8 kites in the northeast sector of the park during
November 1967 (Robertson 1968). On 5 August 1969, Ogden (pers. comm.)
and others saw a kite along the Shark Valley Loop Road, and in Decem-
ber that year I counted 9 in the northern part of the park on the annual
census. I saw 1 to 5 kites on the south side ofwater control structure S-
12-D on 1 and 9 May 1970 and 13 ip the northern part of the park on the
annual census 2 December 1970. During 1971 I saw up to 14 birds in
the northern part of the park, the number decreasing to 6 by December.
From 1972 through 1978 only an occasional kite was seen south of the
Tamiami Trail in the park. From 1 to 10 kites were seen from 17 May to
24 August 1979 from the northeastern part of the park east to the old
Blue Shanty Canal (Oron L. Bass, Jr. pers. comm.). George Avery and
Robert R Russell, Jr. (pers. comm.) saw a brown kite south of Sweet Bay
Pond on 6 September 1979. Throughout 1979 and early 1980 many kites
were seen in the vicinity of the Shark Valley Loop Road, and on the
annual census 23 November 1979, 3 were seen 8-10 km SSW of Royal
Palm Visitor Center on Taylor Slough. On the 1980 annual census 14
kites were found in the Park, 1 along levee L-67 Extension near its
southern end, 1 just north of Rookery Branch in the southern part of
Shark Valley Slough, and 12 on Taylor Slough south of the Royal Palm
Visitors Center.

71. SOUTHWEST OF MIAMI OPPOSITE KEY LARGO. Five clutches
(USNM 28422, 28423, 28425, 28426 and MNHOS 2597) were collected



252 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

southwest of Miami opposite Key Largo in the southeastern part of the
Everglades by Charlie Billie for William L. Ralph on 13 March 1897. On
23 April 1899, a male (CM 3764) and a second bird (correct sex of this
bird is questionable) (CM 3765) were collected near Card Sound by
Frederic S. Webster. William B. Robertson, Jr. (pers. comm.) saw a brown
kite just west of U. S. Hwy. 1 and about 5 km north of C-11 canal on 4
October 1979, and Robert P. Russell, Jr. (pers. comm.) counted l to 3
birds in the same area in late October and early November. A kite was
seen here again in the fall of 1980 (C. Wesley Biggs pen comm.)

72.64 KM SOUTHWEST oF MIAMI. R. D. Hoyt collected a clutch of
eggs 64 km southwest of Miami on 14 May (MCZ 8481) and another on
18 May 1902 (SBMNH 362-138).

73. EVERGLADES. For 17 specimens and 4 sets of eggs, dating from
1883 to 1916, the labels state only Everglades, with no specific locality
given (Appendix 3).

74. EVERGLADES, MONROE COUNTY. Three clutches of eggs (WFVZ
12950, MCZ 8484, SBCM 9884) were collected in April of 1911 and 1912
in that part of the Everglades within Monroe County by J. B. Ellis, of
Chokoloskee, Florida. No specific localities were given.

75. HE:ADWATERS OF HARNEY RIVER. Hugh L. Willoughby, in com-
pany of Ed Brewer, a local guide and hunter, saw 2 kites at the headwa-
ters of the Harney River, Monroe County, on 9 January 1897, in the
course of their journey across the southern Everglades by canoe (Wil-
loughby 1898).

76. HEAD OF SHARK RIVER. On 23 February 1935, Alexander Sprunt,
Jr. (unpubl. field notes), saw a kite flying over the mangroves at the head
of Shark River.

77. BIG SAWGRASS. The Big Sawgrass appears to be the name given
by early residents to the general area of the southern Everglades in the
vicinity of Whitewater Bay in what is now the Everglades National Park.
Outram Bangs collected a male (MCZ 111499) and a female (MCZ 111500)
there on 20 May 1902. An unknown collector took a clutch of eggs (AMNH
8123) there on 26 April 1907, saw two pairs of kites, and found a secodd
nest.

SOUTHERN FLORIDA

78. SOUTHERN FLORIDA. A female (MCZ 100918) was collected at an
unspecified locality in southern Florida on 5 May 1883. This specimen
was obtained from C. K. Worthen, a dealer in bird specimens and eggs.

FLORIDA KEYS

79. PLANTATION KEY. C. N. Grimshawe and Louise Moore sighted
2 kites On the southern end of Plantation Key in January 1942 (Moore



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 253

1942). If the sighting is valid, it is remarkable, as there are no permanent
bodies offresh water on the Upper Keys, and as yet we have no evidence
that Snail Kites move between Florida and Cuba, although such move-
ments may occur.

STATE OF FLORIDA

80. FLORIDA. Some of the Snail Kite material in collections simply has
"Florida" on the labels and in the catalogues, including skins of 4 males,
3 females, 3 unsexed birds, and a set of eggs (Appendix 3).

RECORDS OF SNAIL KITES IN THE UNITED STATES OUTSIDE FLORIDA

LONG COUNTY, GEORGIA. During the 1971 drought in Florida, there
was an unconfirmed sight record of 1 and possibly 2 Snail Kites approxi-
mately 4.8 km southeast of Ludowici on State Road 99 in the Coastal
Plain of Georgia on 23 April (Ernest Provost and David Peterson pers.
comm.).

SOUTHERN TEXAS. On 4 October 1971, Jimmie and John C. Arvin
saw a Snail Kite at the southern end of Padre Island, Cameron County,
the first record for the species in Texas (Webster 1972). Harold R. Holt
and James A. Lane saw another 9.7 km south of Port Lavaca, Calhoun
County, on 26 April 1974 (Webster 1974). Richard O. Albert and others
saw a brown plumaged bird at Lake Alice, Jim Wells County, on 22-26
July 1977, and Tom Albert and others saw one at the same locality for
several days in July 1978 (Webster 1977, 1978). The four sightings are
undoubtedly R. s. major from Mexico, as Webster (1972, 1977) sug-
gested, rather than R. s. plumbeus from Florida or Cuba.

LITERATURE CITED

Amadon, D. 1975. Variation in the Everglade Kite. Auk 92:380-382.
Anonymous. 1965. Civil works monthly schedule and progress report (April and August),

Construction Div., U. S. Army, Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville, Florida,
Bailey, H. B. 1884. Breeding habits of the Everglade Kite. Auk 1:95.
Baird, S. F., T. M. Brewer, and R. Ridgway 1874. A history of North American birds.

Vol. 3. Little, Brown & Co., Boston.
Baker, F. C. 1889. Contents of the stomach of certain birds collected in Brevard County,

Florida, between January 5 and April 15, 1889. Ornithol. Oolog, 14:139-140,
Barbour, T. 1943. Cuban ornithology. Mem. Nuttall Ornithol. Club No. 9.
Bauer, E. A. 1967. The sunset of the Snail Kite. Field & Stream 72(4):58-60.
Bent, A. C. 1937. Life histories of North American birds of prey. Part 1. U. S. Natl. Mus.

Bull. 167.
Binford, L. C. 1968. Preliminary survey of the avifauna of the Mexican State of Oaxaca.

Ph. D. thesis, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge.
Blake, E. R. 1953. Birds of Mexico. Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago.



254 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

Boardman, G. A. 1884. Natural history-bird notes. Forest and Stream 22:203.
Bond, J. 1956. Checklist of birds of the West Indies. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 4th ed.

ix + 214 pp
Bolte, W J. 1961. Field notes and observations-an Everglade Kite. Florida Nat. 34:160.
Brewster, W. 1881. With the birds on a Florida river. Bull. Nuttall Ornithol. Club 6:38-

44.
Brookfield, C. M. 1949. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 3:12-13.

. 1951. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 5:200-201.
Chandler, R., and J. M. Anderson. 1974. Notes on Everglade Kite reproduction. Amen

Birds 28:856, 858.
Collett, S. F. 1977. Sizes of snails eaten by Snail Kites and Limpkins in a Costa Rican

marsh. Auk 94:365-367.
Committee on Rare and Endangered Species. 1966. Rare and endangered fish and wild-

life ofthe United States. Bur. Sport Fish. Wildl., Washington, D.C,, Resource Publ.
34.

Cunningham, R. L. 1964. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 18:24-28.
Deignan, H. G. 1961. Type specimens of birds in the United States National Museum.

U. S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 221.
Dutcher, W. 1904. Report of the A. 0. U. Committee on the Protection of North American

Birds for the year 1903. Auk 21(Suppl.):97-208.
Edwards, E. R 1972. A field guide to the birds of Mexico. Ernest R Edwards, Sweet

Briar, Virginia.
Elliot, F. C. 1955. The Everglades. Florida flood control program of progress, Belle Glade,

Florida. South Florida Flood Contr61 District, West Palm Beach, Memo 10 pp.
Fargo, W G. 1934. Walter John Hoxie. Wilson Bull. 46:169-196.
Farrar, M. C. 1951. Philadelphia Vireo seen on Florida trip. Florida Nat. 24:33-34.
ffrench, R. 1973. A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Livingston Publ. Co.,

Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
Friedmann, H. 1950. The birds of North and Middle America. U. S. Nati. Mus. Bull. 50,

Part 11.
Garrido, 0. H., and F. G. Montana. 1975. Catalogo de las aves de Cuba Acad. Cien.

Cuba, La Habana.
Grimes, S. A. 1944. Birds of Duval County (continuing). Florida Nat. 17:21-31.
Griscom, L. 1932. The ornithology of the Caribbean coast of extreme eastern Panama.

Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Harvard Univ. 72:313.
Harris, E. 1844. Meeting of business, May 28, 1844. Proc. Acad. Sci. Philadelphia (1844-

45) 2:65.
Hart, E. 1975. Pioneers remember old days. Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 1975, Sect. F: 1, 6.
Haverschmidt, F. 1968. Birds of Surinam. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Hellmayr, C. E., and B. Conover. 1949. Catalogue of birds of the Americas. Field Muk

Nat. Hist., Chicago. Zool. Ser. 13, Part 1, No. 4.
Howell, A. H. 1921. A list of the birds of Royal Palm Hammock, Florida Auk 38:250-

263.
1932. Florida bird life. Florida Dept. Game and Fresh Water Fish, Tallahas-

see.
Job, J K. 1905. Wild wings. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., New York.
Kennard, F. H. 1915. The Okaloacoochee Slough. Auk 32: 154-166:
Land, H. C. 1963. A collection of birds from the Caribbean lowlands of Guatemala. Con-

dor 65:49-65.
1970. Birds of Guatemala. Livingston. Publ. Co., Wynnewood, Pennsylva-

nia.



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 255

Mason, C. R. 1939, New species for Seminole County. Florida Nat. 12:100-101.
1965. Everglade Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) along Route 60. Florida Nat.

38:60.
Meyer de Schauensee, R.,and W. H. Phelps, Jr. 1978. A guide to the birds of Venezuela.

Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Monroe, B. L., Jr. 1968. A distributional survey of the birds of Honduras. AOU Ornithol.

Monogr. No. 7.
Moore, L. 1942. Report of the Miami Audubon Society. Florida Nat. 15:49-50.
Newell, C., and E. Newell. 1973. Everglade Kite (Florida, Andytown). Birding 5: 13.
Nicholson, D. J. 1926. Nesting habits of the Everglade Kite in Florida. Auk 43:62-67.

1951. Notes on breeding of EvergIade Kite in Florida. Florida Nat. 24:115.
Ogden, J C. 1971. Florida region. Amen Birds 25:846-851.

, and H. M. Stevenson. 1965. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 19:534-
537.

Parker, G. G., G. E. Ferguson, S. K. Love, and others. 1955. Water resources of South-
eastern Florida. U. S. Geol. Surv., Washington, D.C., Water-supply Paper 1255.

Peterson, R. T. 1973. A field guide to Mexican birds. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.
, and J· Fisher. 1955. Wild America. Houghton Mifflin Co,, Boston,

Phelps, F. M. 1912. A March bird list from the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeecho-
bee. Wilson Bull. 24:117-125.

Ridgely, R. S. 1976. A guide to the birds 6f Panama. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton,
New Jersey.

Robertson, W. B., Jr. 1961. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 15:461-464,
. 1968. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 22:25-31.
, and D. R. Paulson. 1961. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 15:26-35.

Russell, S. M. 1964. A distributional study of the birds of British Honduras. AOU Orni-
thol. Monogr. No. 1.

Schroder, H. H. 1948. Snail Kites. Nature Magazine 41(3):129-131.
1953. The vanishing Everglade Kite. Frontiers 17(4):116-118.

Schwartz, A., and R. F. Klinikowski. 1963. Observations on West Indian birds. Proc.
Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 115:53-77.

Scott, W. E, D. 1881. On birds observed in Sumpter, Levy, and Hillsborough counties,
Florida. Bull: Nuttall Ornithol. Club 6:14-21.

1982. Notes on the birds of the Caloosahatchee Region of Florida. Auk 9:209-
218.

Skelton, K. G. 1951. Present size of the Everglade Kite population at Lake Okeechobee,
Florida. Wilson Bull. 63:198-199.

Slud, P. 1964. The birds of Costa Rica. Amen Mus. Nat. }list Bull. 128:1-430.
Sprunt, A., Jr. 1942. Remarkable nesting date of the Everglade Kite. Auk 59:585-586.

1945. The phantom of the marshes. Audubon Mag. 47:15-22.
1954. Florida bird life. Natl. Audubon Soc., Coward-McCann, Inc., New

York.
Stevenson, H. M. 195la. St. Marks, Fla. Christmas Bird Count. Audubon Field Notes

5:106-107.
195lb. Unusual records from the Tallahassee region. Florida Nat. 24:60.
1955a. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 9:19-22.

. 1955b. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 9:326-328.
1958. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 12:21-26.
1962. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 16:21-25.
1966. Florida region. Audubon Field Notes 20:30-35.
1968. Florida's first summer bird count  Florida Nat. 41:43-47.



256 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

1975. Florida region. Amen Birds 29:679-683.
Stieglitz, W. 0., and R. L. Thompson. 1967. Status and life history of the Everglade Kite

in the United States. U. S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Washington, D. C., Spec. Sci. Rep.,
Wildl. No. 109.

Stoddard, H. L. 1950. Wakulla County bird notes. Florida Nat. 23:98-100.
Swann, H. K. 1934. Rostrhamus sociabitis plumbeus Ridgway, Northern Everglade Kite.

P. 249 in A monograph of  the birds of prey Part 12. A. Wetmore (ed.). Wheldon and
Wesley, Ltd., London.

Sykes, R W,Jr. 1978. Everglade Kite. Pp. 4-7 in Rare and endangered biota of Florida.
Vol. 2. Birds. H. W Kale, II (ed.). Univ. Presses Florida, Gainesville.

1979. Status of the Everglade Kite in Florida-1968-1978. Wilson Bull.
91:495-511.

, and H. W Kale, II. 1974. Everglade Kites feed on nonsnail prey. Auk 91:818-
820.

Tebeau, C. W 1971. A history of Florida. Univ. Miami Press, Coral Cables.
Wachenfeld, A. W. 1956. Present status of Everglade Kite. Linnaean News-letter 10(3):1.
Wayne, A. T 1895. Notes on the birds of the Wacissa and Aucilla River regions of Florida.

Auk 12:326-367.
Webster, F. S., Jr. 1972. South Texas region. Amen Birds 26:84- 88.

. 1974. South Texas region. Amer. Birds 28:822-825.
1977. South Texas region. Amen Birds 31:1158-1160.

- . 1978. South Texas region. Amen Birds 32: 1028-1031.
Wetmore, A. 1965. The birds of the Republic of Panama. Part 1. Smithsonian Misc. Coll.

150.
Whitefield, J B. 1975. County names. In The Florida handbook, 15th Ed., 1975-1976.

A. Morris (compl.)  Peninsula Publ. Co., Tallahassee.
Willoughby, H. L. 1898. Across the Everglades-a canoe journey of exploration by Hugh

L. Willoughby. F. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia.
Wilson, J. L. 1971. Everglade Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) in Highlands County. Florida

Nat. 44:122.
Wolfe, L. R 1938. Eggs of the Falconiformes (continued). Oolog. Rec. 18(1):2-10.

APPENDIX 1
CURATED COLLECTIONS WITH NO SNAIL KITE MATERIAL FROM FLORIDA

UNITED STATES: ALABAMA-Univ. Alabama. ARIZONA-Univ. Arizona. CALIFOR-
NIA-Los Angeles County Mus. Nat. Hist.; Moore Lab. Zool., Occidental College; Stan-
ford Univ.; Sespe Mus. Comparative Zool., Filmore; Univ. California, Los Angeles. COL-
ORADO-Denver Mui Nat. Hist.; Univ. Colorado. CONNECTICUT-Univ. Connecticut.
DELAWARE-Univ. Delaware. FLORIDA-Albert Schwartz Coll., Miami; Archbold Biol.
Sta., Lake Placid; Florida Southern College; Florida State Univ.; Florida Technol6gical
Univ.; Mus. Sci. & Planetarium of Dade County, Miami; Tall Timbers Res. Sta., Tallahas-
see; Univ. Central Florida; Univ. Florida; Univ, South Florida. GEORGIA-Richard A.
Parks Coll., Atlanta; Univ. Georgia. ILLINOIs-Illinois State Mus.; Northern Illinois Univ.;
Univ. Illinois. INDIANA-Purdue Univ. IOWA-Davenport Mus. K~NSAS-Univ Kan-
sas. KENTUCKY-Univ. Louisville. LOUISIANA-Louisiana State Univ.; Tulane Univ.
MAINE-Univ. Maine. MASSACHUSETrs-Mus. Sci., Boston; Peabody Mus., Salem; Sci.
Mus., Springfield; Univ. Massachusetts. MICHIGAN-Central Michigan Univ.; Michigan



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 257

State Univ. Mus,; Olin S. Pettingill, Jr. Coll., Pellston; Univ. Michigan Biol. Sta., Pells-
ton. MINNESOTA-St. Cloud State College; Univ. Minnesota. MISSISSIPPI-State Wild-
life Mus., Jackson; Univ. Mississippi; Mississippi State Univ. MISSOURI-Univ. Missouri.
MONTANA-Univ. Montanta. NEBRASKA-Univ. Nebraska. NEW HAMPSHIRE-Dart-

mouth College Mus. NEW JERSEY-New Jersey State Mus. NEW MEXICO-Univ. New
Mexico; Western New Mexico Univ. NEW YORK-Buffalo Mus. Sci.; Cornell Univ.; New
York State Mus.; Rochester Mus.; Walter R. Spofford Coll., Etna; State Univ. College,
Oneonta. NOR·rH CAROLINA-North Carolina State Mus. Nat. Hist.; North Carolina State
Univ. NORTH DAKOTA- Univ, North Dakota. OHIO-Cincinnati Mus. Nat. Hist.; Cleve-
land'Mus, Nat. Hist, OKLAHOMA-Stovall Mus., Univ. Oklahoma; George M. Sutton
Coll., Norman. OREGON-Univ. Oregon; Alex Walker Coll., Tillamook; PENNSYLVA-
NIA-Everhart Mus. Nat. Hist., Scranton; Pennsylvania State Univ; West Chester State
College. S0UTH CAROLINA-Florence Mus., Florence. TENNESSEE-Albert F. Ganier
Coll., Nashville; Univ. Tennessee. TENAs-Dallas Mus. Nat. Hist.; Travis C. Meitzen
Coll., Refugio; Strecker Mus., Baylor Univ. ; Texas A&M Univ. ; Texas Memorial Mus,,
Austin; L. R, Wolfe Coll., Kerrville. UTAH-Life Sci. Mus., Brigham Young Univ.; Univ.
Utah, VERMONT-Fairbanks Mus., St, Johnsburg. VIRGINIA-Harold H. Bailey Coll.,
Rockbridge Alum Springs; Walter A. Weber Coll., Oakton. WASHINGTON-Washington
State Univ. WISCONSIN-Carl H. Richter Coll., Oconto; Zool. Mus., Univ. Wisconsin,
Madison.

CANADA: ALBERTA-Univ. Alberta. BRITISH COLUMBIA-British Columbia Prov.
Mus. ONTARIO-Hoyes Lloyd Coll., Ottawa; Univ. Western Ontario. SASKATCHEWAN-
Saskatchewan Mus. Nat. Hist.

OTHER COUNTRIES: AUSTRIA-Oberosterreichisches Landesmuseum, Abteilung
Zoologie, Linz; Naturhistorieches Mus. Wien, Wien. BELGIUM-Institut Royal des Sci.
Naturelles, Brussels. ENGLAND-Norwich Castle Mus., Norwich. FRANCE-Mus. Natl.
d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. GERMANY-Mus. fur Naturkunde, Bereich Zoologisches Mus.,
Berlin. MEXICO-Instituto de Biologia, Univ. Nacional Autonoma, Mexico City. NETH-
ERLANDS-Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden. S*'EDEN-Naturhistoriska
Museet, Goteborg; Naturhistoriska Rikmuseet, Stockholm. SWITZERLAND-Mus. d'His-
toire Naturelle, Geneva; Naturhistorisches Mus., St. Gallen.

APPENDIX 2
LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS OF FLORIDA LOCALITIES

Legal descriptions of the localities in Florida that were used by the Snail Kite during
1968-1980. The land grid references are based on the Florida coordinate system (Talia-
hassee Meridian)

ST. JOHNS RESERVOIR. All or parts of  Sections 6, 7, 18, and 19 of T-33-S, R-37-E.
CLOUD LAKE RESERVOIR, S 1/2 of Section 16 and N 1/2 of Section 21, T-34-S, R-38-

E.
STRAZZULLA RESERVOIR. SW 1/4 of Section 21, T-34-S, R-38-E.
THE SAVANNAS. Parts of Section 22, 23, 26,35, and 36, T-35-S, R-40-E.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE. Parts or all of T-39-S, R-35-E; T-39-S, R-34-E; T-40-S, R-34-

E, T-40-5, R-33-E, T-40-5, R-32-E, T-41-S, R-32-E, T-41-S, R-33-E, T-41-5, R-34-
E; T-42-S, R-33-E; and T-42-S, R-34-E.

LAKE PARK RESERVOIR. Parts of Sections 21, 28 and 33, T-42-S,.R-42-E and Sections

4,5,8,9, and 17, T-43-S, R-42-E.



258 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

LOXAHATCHEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. Parts of T-44-S, R-40-E; T-45-S, R-
41-E, T-46-S, R-41-E; T-47-S, R-41-E, T-47-S, R-40-E, T-46-S, R-40-E,and T-46-S,
R-39-E.

CONSERVATION AREA 2A. Parts of T-47-S, R-40-E; T-47-S, R-39-E; T-48-S, R-40-
E; T-49-S, R-40-E. and T-49-S, R-39-E.

CONSERVATION A~EA 2B. Parts ofT-49-S, R-39-E; T-49-S, R-40-E; and T-50-S, R-
40-E.

CONSERVATION AREA 3A. Parts of T-50-S, R-37-E; T-50-S, R-38-E; T-50-S, R-39-
E; T-51-S, R-38-E, T-51-S, R-37-E; T-52-S, R-38-E, T-52-S, R-37-E; T-53-S, R-37-E,
T-53-S, R-36„E, T-53-S, R-35-E, T-54-S, R-36-E, and T-54-S, R-35-E.

CONSERVATION AREA 3B. Part of T-54-S, R-37-E.
THE POCKET. Parts ofT-51-S, R-38-E; T-52-S, R-38-E; T-52-S, R-37-E; T-53-S, R-

37-E, and T-54-S, R-37-E.
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. Parts ofT-54-S, R-35-E; T-54-S, R-36-E; T-55-S, R-

36-E; T-58-S, R-37-E, and T-59-S, R-37-E.

APPENDIX 3
SNAIL KITE SPECIMENS, SKELETONS, AND EGG SETS FROM FLORIDAl

This appendix contains a listing of 159 museum-type skins or mounts (73 males, 57
females, 2 juvenile males, 1 juvenile female, 5 unsexed juveniles, 1 male nestling, 2 un-
sexed nestlings, and 18 specimens for which the present locations, sexes, and ages are
unknown), 148 egg sets, and 1 complete skeleton. The breakdown by decades of collecting
is as follows: 1840-49, 5 skins; 1850-59 and 1860-69, no material; 1870-79, 33 skins and
an egg set; 1880-89, 38 skins and an egg set; 1890-99,26 skins and 24 egg sets; 1900-09,
16 skins and 12 egg sets; 1910-19, 14 skins and 41 egg sets; 1920-29, 38 skins and 46 egg
sets; 1930-39, 3 skins and 9 egg sets; 1940-49, 2 skins and 6 egg sets; 1950-59, 7 egg
sets; 1960-69, 2 skins (salvaged dead nestlings) and an egg set; 1970-79, 2 skins (salvaged
female found shot, salvaged dead nestling) and a skeleton (salvaged female found shot);
and 1980, no material.

About 88% of the Snail Kite material collected in Florida was obtained between the
mid 18705 and the late 19205 when interest in collecting skins and eggs was at its peak,
laws governing regulation of such activities were weak or nonexistent, and the concept of
wildlife conservation was in its infancy. Unfortunately, few of the skins have any important
biological data on the labels (i. e. weight, reproductive condition, stomach contents, endo-
and ectoparasites present), primarily because such data were not considered important at
the time. However, the egg data sheets of many sets contain considerable information
that will be published (Sykes MS in prep.).

Since only one complete skeleton is known to exist for a Snail Kite from Florida, and
there is no whole (fluid/alcholic) specimen, any material of this species salvaged in the
State hereafter should be preserved as a fluid or freeze-dried specimen, or ifnot  suitable
for soft-tissue preparation it should be skeletonized.

BIG SAWGRASS (WHITEWATER BAY AREA)-20 May 1902, male MCZ 111499, female
MCZ 111500; 26 April 1907, AMNH 8123.

'Abbreviations for the curatorial institutions are listed in Table 1 (p. 263).



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 259

BREVARD COUNTY-5 Jan.-15 April 1889, 4 specimens [loc. spec. unk.] (Baker 1889); 30
March 1924, male UMMZ 62039, female UMMZ 62040; 30 March 1930, male MCZ
252440.

BREVARD COUNTY [ST. JOHNS MARSH]-5 March 1927, AMNH 6961.
CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER-14 Jan. 1885, female FMNH 130044; 14 April 1907, female

AMNH 352056.
CHASSAHOWITZKA RIVER-Spring 1918, specimen [loc. spec. unk.] (Howell 1932).

CONSERVATION AREA 2A-1 April 1967, unsexed nestling USNM 531421; 17 March 1968,
female nestling USNM 531685.

CONSERVATION AREA 2B-20 Dec. 1970, female, Univ. Miami 6500; 27 Dec. 1970, fe-
male (skeleton) UMMZ 216657.

CRESCENT CfTY, VICINITY OF-1894, near Crescent City, USNM 28048.
DADE CouNTY-15 April 1891, 24842 USNM; 28 April 1903, male MCZ 252439; 18 Feb.

1912, WFVZ 8070; 20 Feb. 1912, WFVZ 79804, AMNH 8122; 25 April 1913, DMNH
10692; 26 April 1913, WFVZ 59622; 27 April 1913, UWGB 18; 28 April 1913, SBMNH
357-320; 3 June 1913, Bull Coll. 23/3. 5 June 1913, Hoy Coll. 25; 20 June 1913, WFVZ
12945; 26 March 1914, WFVZ 12946; 27 March 1914, AMNH 8126, Hoy Coll. 32, SBCM
9426; 28 March 1914, AMNH 8129, MVZ 7575, DMNH 10691; 21 May 1914, ANSP [no
catalogue No. ], MVZ 5155; 7 March 1915, Hoy Coll. 36a; 2 April 1915, WFVZ 6441; 10
March 1917, WFVZ 8071, AMNH 8127.

DESOTO COUNTY-8 March 1888, male BMNH 1890-4-28-249, female BMNH 1890-
4-28-250.

EvERGLADES-March 1883, male AMNH 45042, male BMNH 1887-5-1-1007, female
BMNH 1887-5-1-1008; 18 March 1883, female USNM 101402; April [1883?], unsexed
AMNH 45043; May 1883, female USNM 100195; 25 Sept. 1883, female BMNH 1887-
5-1-1009, unsexed BMNH 1955-6-N-20-948; 26 Sept. 1883, male MCZ [catalog No.
?]; 6 Sept. 1895, female UMMZ 217682, female DMNH 5158; 25 Feb. 1898, CM 4913;
15 April 1905, MCZ 8482; 15 Jan. 1906, female MCZ 304883, female MCZ 304884; 2
June 1913, AMNH 8128; 19 June 1913, unsexed juv. MCZ 320657; 21 June 1913, un-
sexed juv. MCZ 320658, [no date given; probably 1913-1914 period], SBMNH 87; 10
Jan. 1916, male MCZ 322149, female MCZ 322150.

EVERGLADES, EAST OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE-4 March 1913, male AMNH 750121.
EVE:RGLADES, MONROE COUNTY-April 1911, WFVZ 12950; 16 April 1912, MCZ 8484;

20 April 1912, SBCM 9884.
EVERGLADES, 64 KM SOUTH OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE-28 March 1898, WFVZ 12949.
EVERGLADES, 64 KM SouTHWEST oF MIAMI-14 May 1902, MCZ 8481; 18 May 1902,

SBMNH 362-138.
EvERGLADES, 64 KM WEST oF WEST PALM BEACH-26 Feb. 1921, USNM 45861.
EVERGLADES, SOUTHEAST OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE-1 May 1913, WFVZ 94927; 2 speci-

mens [loc. spec. unk.; info from label data WFVZ 94927].
EVERGLADES, SOUTHWEST OF MIAMI, OPPOSITE KEY LARGO-13 March 1897, USNM

28422, USNM 28423, USNM 28425, USNM 28426, MNHOS 2597; 23 April 1899, Card
Sound, male CM 3764, male [?] CM 3765.

FLORIDA-May 1876, female BMNH 1966-12-7-594; 2 April 1889, male MPM 6681,
female MPM 6682, [date unk.], BMNH 1891-3-1-482; 15 April 1897, female FMNH
16322, male FMNH 16323; 1909, unsexed Calif. AS 27098; 1920, male AMNH 750120;
[dates unk. ], unsexed juv. BMNH 1955-6-N-20-946, male BMNH 1955-6-N-20-950;
[date unk.], unsexed ANSP 1943; [date unk.], USNM 16827.

FLORIDA, SOUTHERN-5 May 1883, female MCZ 100918.
FT. MYERS, VICINITY OF-10 Feb. 1895, female (mounted) MPM 5852; 1 June 1913,

WFVZ 12948, DMNH 10688,16 April 1914, NMC E1154.



260 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

INDIAN RIVER, SOUTHERN PART-Summer 1874, female ROM 35683.
JACKSONVILLE, VICINITY of-[circa Feb.] 1884, 3 specimens [loc. spec. unk.] (Board-

man 1884, Grimes 1944).
KISSIMMEE PRAIRIE-[6] Nov. 1888, specimen [loc. spec. unk.] (Fargo 1934).

KISSIMMEE RIVER-Feb. 1888, female FM NH 37653.
LAKE BUTLER [ = LAKE TARPON]-10 May 1895, male ANSP 45611.
LAKE FLIRT-14 April 1907, near Lake Flirt, WFVZ 52226.
LAKE HICPOCHEE-9 April 1906, near Lake Okeechobee [probably Lake Hicpochee],

WFVZ. 12951, Hoy Coll. N/3.
LAKE MoNRoE-7 Feb. 1883, male FMNH 37654.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE, WEST SIDE-Nov. 1884, male FMNH 130047; 20 April 1906, SBCM

9631; 30 Oct. 1908, female MVZ 6518, male MVZ 6517: 20 May 1913, WFVZ 12953,
WFVZ 12954; 21 May 1913, WFVZ 12952; 22 May 1913, Hoy Coll. 4/4, 23 May 1913,
USNM 43605; 4 May 1940, Charlestan M us. LO/1, 15 March 1943 [probably Lake
Okeechobee], CU 10005; 13 May 1943, 8 km north of Moore Haven, female nestling
UMMZ 121468, Red Reef Point, WFVZ 79290; 10 April 1944 [probably Lake Okeecho-
bee], CU 11093; 17 Feb. 1945, 16 km NE of Moore Haven, MCZ 12435; 28 March 1953,
Moonshine Bay, CM 4914; 31 March 1953, Moonshine Bay, WFVZ 79289, DMNH 5058;
4 Feb. 1955, DMNH 5055, 5056; 5 Feb. 1955, DMNH 5057; 4 Feb. 1956, Dixon Coll
20-3; 18 April 1961, Snyder Coll. 1121.

LAKE PANAsoFFKEE-4 Feb. 1876, male PMZ 5099; 15 Feb. 1876, female FMNH 300639,
female FMNH 300641; 17 Feb. 1876, female BMNH 1900-12-1-13, female BMNH
1900-12-1-12, male FMNH 300640, female UMMZ 62043; 18 Feb. 1876, male FMNH
300635, male FMNH 300638, female MCZ 230472, female MCZ 92620, female (mounted)
PMZ 566, male MCZ 92621, male PMNH 605; 25 Feb. 1876, female UMMZ 62042,
female MCZ 30536; 29 Feb. 1876, male (old PMZ 5102) UM, 18 March 1876, female [no
catalog No. ] Chicago Acad Sci.; 23 March 1876, female PMZ 5103, unsexed FMNH
300643, male FMNH 300642, male UMMZ 62041.

LAKE TOHOPEKALIGA, VICINITY OF-18 Feb. 1895, Tohopekaliga Cypress [lakes in Os-

ceola Co.], female USNM 151034; 10 May 1895, Little Marsh [Osceola Co.], male USNM
151035; 30 May 1895, Tohopekaliga Cypress, male USNM 151033.

LAKE WASHINGTON, SouTH OF-7 May 1926, WFVZ 16326 (Wolfe 1938), MNHOS 4797.
LEE CouNTY-March 1904, male UF 2408; 20 April 1914, MCZ 8483; 8 March 1923,

AMNH 6962; 10 March 1923, AMNH 8124.
LOXAHATCHEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE-3 April 1970, unsexed nestling USNM

563988.
LOXAHATCHEE SLOUGH AND WEST PALM BEACH-2 March 1896, marsh west of West

Palm Beach, male FMNH 16321; 28 March 1897, Palm Beach, male FMNH 16324; 5
April 1897, Jupiter, male FMNH 20903; 12 April 1897, Lake Worth, MCZ 4259,25 April
1897, 14.5 km north of West Palm Beach, USNM 29141, 14.5 km NW of Palm Beach,
USNM 29751; 9 June 1897, 6.4 km west of Palm Beach, USNM 29142, near West Palm
Beach, WFVZ 9987; 25 June 1897, 14.5 km from West Palm Beach, USNM 29754,
MNHUPS 13/3; 28 June 1897, 16 km from West Palm Beach, USNM 29146, MCZ 8485,
14.5 km from West Palm Beach, USNM 29147, USNM 29753, WFVZ 12944; 20 July
1897, near West Palm Beach, USNM 29148; 17 April 1901, 8 km NW of West Palm
Beach, USNM 29477; 10 April 1911, Loxahatchee Marsh, WFVZ 16327; 1 May 1913,
Palm Beach, WFVZ 94927; 16 June 1913, 2 nests with ggs in Loxahatchee Marsh (How-
ell 1932); 6 June 1916, Loxahatchee Marsh, male (mounted) [rio catalogue No. ] MNHUI;
20 April 1917, Palm Beach, male FMNH 59187; 20 March 1920, West Palm Beach,
female AM NH 9672; 26 F.eb. 1921, Palm Beach County, Calif. AS 3976; 27 Feb. 1921,
Palm Beach County, Hoy Coll. 4; 26/28 Feb. 1921, Loxahatchee Marsh, VPI 3/3, VPI 5/



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 261

3, Snyder Coll. 1776, WFVZ 65864, WFVZ 65865; March 1921, West Palm Beach, male
Calif. AS 27099; 17 March 1921, West Palm Beach, male AMNH 750126; 18 March
1921, West Palm Beach, male AMNH 750128; 19 March 1921, West Palm Beach, female
AMNH 750130, male MVZ 99636, female MVZ 99637, male MVZ 99638, female MVZ
81821; 20 March 1921, West Palm Beach, female AMNH 750131; 8 April 1921, West
Palm Beach, male AMNH 750122, male AMNH 750123; 12 April 1921, Palm Beach,
juv. female CM 144496; 11 May 1921, West Palm Beach. male AMNH 750125; 16 Jan.
1922, Loxahatchee, male Bailey Coll. Nat. Hist. 4971 [n6w a mounted specimen at
DMNH].

MANATEE COUNTY-19 Dec. 1886, male MCZ 226057; 20 Dec. 1886, female FMNH
37651.

MIAMI RIVER, HEAD OF AND VICINITY-29 April 1844, immature male ANSP 1942 (first

record of the species in the United States) (Harris 1844); 6 May 1848, 4 specimens
(Howell 1932) [USNM 11955 is probably one of these (Deignan 1961); loc. of other 3
spec. unk.]; 28 Feb. 1870, 3 specimens (Baird et al. 1874) [loc. spec. unk.]; 24 March
1870 female (in breeding condition) (Baird et al. 1874) [loc. spec. unk.], MCZ 4260
(Baird et al. 1874); 3 March 1871, female Zool. Institute, Acad. Sci., Leningrad, U. S. S. R.
132960; 25 March 1871, adult male USNM 61187 (type specimen for R. s. plumbeus);
[early 1870's], male BMNH 1955-6-N-20-947; March 1883, unsexed downy nestling
MCZ 208238, unsexed downy nestling BMNH 1887-5-1-1009, female MCZ 208237,
male MCZ 208236, 16 March 1883, AMNH 424 (Bailey 1884), late winter 1884, male
UMMZ 121467; winter 1884, unsexed SDNHM 19910; 10 Dec. 1884, female AMNH
470952; 5 March 1897, USNM 28428; 20 May 1899, male PMNH 8775; 28 April 1903,
UF 52273 (Bent 1937); 2 March 1904, female FMNH 130045, male FMNH 130046; 2
Oct. 1904, female MCZ 300634; 5 Oct. 1904, female MCZ 300635, male AMNH 352055,
female ROM 35684.

MICANopy-4 Dec. 1919, CM 4914 (Swann 1934).
MONROE COUNTY-April 1900, UF 1105
NAPLES-Circa l March 1918, specimen (Howell 1932) [loc. spec. unk. ].
NEW RIVER CANAL-15 April 1913, female UMMZ 62045.
NEW RIVER, HEAD OF-25 Jan. 1897, male PMNH 6799; March 1905, Chicago Acad Sci.
28.

OKALOACOOCHEE SLOUGH-23 APRIL 1890, BONNET LAKE, LEE CO. [PRESENT HEN-

DRY CO. ], HOY COLL. 429
PARADISE KEY, VICINITY OF-3 Jan. 1925, male VPI 2215; 1 Dec. 1928, female MVZ

80895.
ST. JOHNS RIvER, HEADWATERs oF-10 May 1923, 16 km west of Malabar, unsexed juv.

USNM 287887, unsexed juv. USNM 287886, female USNM 287882, male USNM 287883;
11 May 1923, 16 km west of Malabar, male USNM 287881, male USNM 287885, female
USNM 287884; 27 April 1925, west of Fellsmere, DMNH 5059, AMNH 6960; 12 May
1925, west of Fellsmere, Hoy Coll. 5/3, 13 May 1925, Fellsmere, male USNM 298783,
male USNM 298782, 11 km west of Fellsmere, juv. male USNM 298784, juv. male
USNM 298785, female USNM 298781, 14.5 km west of Fellsmere, DMNH 10687; 2
April 1926, west of Fellsmere, MNHOS 4796; 28 April 1926, west of Valkaria, WFVZ
8069,29 April 1926, head of St. Johns River, Bull Coll. 12/3, SBCM 17478; 30 April
1926, west of Fellsmere, WFVZ 16325 (Wolfe 1938), Hoy Coll. 14/3; 14 Feb. 1927, west
of Fellsmere, WFVZ 86341, Hoy Coll. 20/3, St. Johns Marsh, Brevard Co., DMNH
10689, north of Fellsmere Canal, MNHUPS 9/4, 15 Feb. 1927, 1.6 km north of Fells-
mere Canal, MNHUPS 5/4, Hoy Coll. 22/3, Hoy Coll. 12/3, and Hoy Coll. 25/2, WFVZ
66254,3.2 km north of canal west of Fellsmere, WFVZ 12947, west of Fellsmere, MNHOS
4795; 16 Feb. 1927, west of Fellsmere, Hoy Coll. 7/3; 10 March 1927, west of Fellsmere,



262 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

DMNH 10690, UWGB N3 1/27; 13 March 1927, Fellsmere Marsh, MNHUPS 36/3,3
April 1927, WolfCreek, Brevard Co., DMNH 5159; 15 April 1927, St. Johns Marsh SW
of Malabar, Hoy Coll. 41/2, 20 April 1927, SW of Malabar, Brevard Co., SBCM 17479;
22 April 1927, St. Johns Marsh at Ten Pipes, Hoy Coll. 38/3, south of Nickel Camp,
Brevard Co., MNHOS 4794, south of Hillard Maple, WFVZ 17387; 22 May 1927, [prob-
ably headwaters of St. Johns], DM NH 10693; 10 March 1928, 32 km SW of Fellsmere,
Indian River Co., CM 144497; 2 April 1929, Fellsmere, male FMNH 160215, female
FMNH 156765, male FMNH 156767; 6 May 1929, 11 km SW of Fellsmere, male FMNH
160216, male FMNH 160217, female FMNH 156766; 10 April 1930, 16 km SW of Grant,
male CM 107475, 13 km SW of Malabar, CM 2593; 15 May 1930, Fellsmere Marsh,
AMNH 15858; 11 April 1931, 19 km NW of Fellsmere, AMNH 15464, 32 km SE of
Malabar, AMNH 6959; 19 April 1931, St. Johns Marsh, Brevard Co., MVZ 5156, 16 km
NW of Fellsmere, AMNH 15463; 2 May 1931, 18 km NW of Fellsmere, AMNH 15462;
12 March 1933, 180 m south of State Road 60, Indian River Co., unsexed chick MCZ
252441; 18 Feb. 1934, 24 km west of Vero Beach, AMNH 15860; 19 March 1934, 24 km
west of Vero Beach, AMNH 15859.

SEBASTIAN RIVER-28 March 1898, male (mounted) OSM 5443.
WACISSA RIVER-Wayne (1895) secured about 20 specimens (14 of which are listed be-

low): April 1894, male Charleston Mus. 912, unsexed Charleston Mus. 913, unsexed
Charleston Mus. 914. 9 May 1894, [loc. spec. unk.] (Wayne 1895), [loc. spec. unk.]
(Wayne fn, Charleston Mus.); 10 May 1894, female Charleston Mus. 30-147-93, male
Chicago Acad Sci. 3077, 2 males [loc. spec. unk.] (Wayne fn, Charleston Mus.), 21 May
1894, female and 2 unsexed juv. [loc. spec. unk.] (Wayne fn, Charleston Mus.), male
MCZ 245757, male Chicago Acad Sci. 3084.

WEKIVA RIVER-2 July 1876, male FMNH 37652; 5 July 1876, male USNM 72815.



1984 SYKES: FLORIDA SNAIL KITE 263

Table 1.
Curated collections with Snail Kite material from Florida.

Skins/ Eggs
Curatorial.Institution Mounts Sets Total

Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia (ANSP) 3 1 4
Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. (AMNH) 15 19 34
British Mus. Nat. Hist. (BMNH) 13 1 14
Dan B. Bull Collection, Calif. 2 2
California Acad. Sci. (Calif. AS) 2 1 3
Carnegie Mus. Nat. Hist. (CM) 5 4 9
Charleston Mus. 4 1 5
Chicago Acad. Sci. (CAS) 3 1 4
Clemson Univ. (CU) 2 2
Delaware Mus. Nat. Hist. (DMNH) 3 12 15
James B. Dixon Collection, Cali£ 1 1
Field Mui Nat. Hist. (FMNH) 28 28
Florida State Mus. (UF) 1 2 3
Nelson Hoy Collection, Pa.[1] 16 16
Milwaukee Public Mui (MPM) 3 3
Mus. Comparative Zool., Harvard Univ. (MCZ) 24 8 32
Mus. Nat. Hist., Oregon State Univ. (MNHOS) 5 5
Mus. Nat. Hist., Univ. Iowa (MNHUI) 1 1
Mus. Nat. Hist., Univ. Puget Sound (MNHUPS) 4 4
Mus. Vertebrate Zool., Univ. Calif., Berkeley (MVZ) 7 3 10
Mus. Zool., Univ. Michigan (UMMZ) 9 10[2]
Natl. Mus. of Canada (NMC) 1 1
Ohio State Mus. (SM) 1 1
Peabody Mus. Nat. Hist., Yale Univ. (PMNH) 3 3
Princeton Mus. Nat. Hist., Princeton Univ. (PMZ) 3 3
Royal Ontario Mus. (ROM) 2 2
San Bernardino County Mus. (SBCM) 6 6
San Diego Nat. Hist. Mus. (SDNHM) 1 1
Santa Barbara Mus. Nat. Hist. (SBMNH) 3 3
Barton M. Snyder Collection, Pa. 2 .2
U. S. Natl. Mus. Nat. Hist. (USNM) 23 19 42
Univ. Miami (UM) 2 2
Univ. Wisconsin, Green Bay (UWGB) 2 2
Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) 2 2 4
Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zool., Calif. (WFVZ) 30 30
Zool. Institute, Acad. Sci., Leningrad, U.S.S.R 1 1

Total 36 159 148 308

[i] Acquired by WFVZ in 1980.
[2] Also includes one skeleton.



264 BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM Vol. 29, No. 6

Table 2.
The 33 Florida counties in which the Snail Kite has been recorded

(*breeding 1844-1967, £1968-1980)

Alachua* Highlands Palm Beach*t
Brevard*t Indian River*t Pinellas
Broward* Jefferson Polk
Citrus Lake* Putnam*
Collier* Lee* St. Lutie*t
Dade*t Manatee Sarasota
DeSoto Marion Seminole
Duval Monroe* Sumter*
Flagler Okeechobee Taylor
Glades*t Orange volusia
Hendry* Osceola Wakulla*

Table 3. ---1.

Summary of Snail Kite material from Florida by«county of origin.

Skins/ Eggs
County Mounts Sets Total

Alachua 1 1
Brevard 12 21 33
Broward 5 2 8[1]
Collier 2 2
Dade 22 12 34
Dade-Broward[2] 1 25 26
DeSoto 2 2
Glades 4 18 22
Indian River 14 21 35
JefFerson 7 7
Lee-Hendry['] 2 5 7
Manatee 2 2
Monroe 7 7
Osceola 3 3
Palm Beach 23 24 47
Pinellas - 1 1
Putnarn 1 1
Seminole 2 2
Sumter 22 '22
State of Florida[4] 35 11 46

Total 19 159 148 308

[1] Includes one skeleton at MS.
Ia]Broward County was once part of Dade; label data insufficient to determine in which
county material originated.
[a] Hendry County was once part of Lee; label data insufficient to determine in which
county material originated.
[4] Insufficient data of label to place in a specific county.



Contributions to the BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM, BIOLOGICAL SCI-
ENCES SERIES, may be in any field of biology. Manuscripts dealing with natural history of
systematic problems involving the southeastern United States or the New World tropics are
solicited especially. Manuscripts should be of medium length-circa 35 to 200 pages (10,500-
16,000 words). Examination for suitability is made by an Editorial Board.

The BULLETIN is distributed worldwide through institutional subscriptions and exchanges.
It is cohsidered the responsibility of the author to distribute his paper to all interested individ-
uals. To aid in this the author(s) receiv«s) 50 copies free, and he may purchase additional
separates at cost if ordered when page proof is returned. The author is also responsible for any
charges incurred for alterations made by him on galley or page proofs. The Museum will send
an invoice to the author for this amount upon completion of publication.

PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPT

Contributors should consult recent numbers of the BULLETIN for preferred style and format.
Highly recommended as a guide is the CBE Style Manual, 3rd Edition, 1972 (Washington, D.C.,
Amer. Inst. Biol. Sci.).

MSS must be submitted in duplicate (please no onionskin) and satisfy the following minimal re-
quirements: They should be typewritten, double-spaced (especiall!/ tables, figure captions, and
"Literature Cited"), on one side of numbered sheets of standard (8-1/2 x 11 in.) bond paper,
with at least one-inch margins all around. Figure legends and tables should be typed on separate
sheets. All illustrations are referred to as figures. They must comply with the following stan-
dards: Photographs should be sharp, with good contrast, and printed on glossy paper. Drawings
should be made with dense black waterproof ink on quality paper or illustration board. All il-
lustrations should have a cover sheet. All lettering will be medium weight, sans-serif type (e.g.
Futura Medium, News Gothie) in cutout, dry transfer, or lettering guide letters. Make allow-
ance so that after reduction no lowercase letter will be less than 1 mm high (2 mm is preferred)
nor any capital letter greater than 5 mm high. The maximum size for illustrations is 8-5/8 x 14 in.
(twice typepage size); illustrations should not be less than typepage width (4-5/ 16 in.). Designate
the top of each illustration and identify on the back with soft pencil by author's name, MS title,
and figure number.

All manuscripts not submitted in BULLETIN format will be returned to the author for retyping.

Manuscripts and all editorial matters should be addressed to:
Managing Editor of the BULLETIN
Florida State Museum
Museum Road
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611