From Audubon
In Summary:
Snail Kites, an iconic Florida raptor historically tied to the Everglades and the state’s wetlands, are experiencing another population decline after a short-lived rebound fueled by invasive apple snails. Audubon reports the population dropped from about 3,000 birds to roughly 2,000 in 2025 following two dry springs, including a year in which researchers documented only 30 successful nests statewide. Conservation groups say the invasive snails can be prolific but unreliable during drought years, and native apple snail populations have not recovered enough to support kites on their own.
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Snail Kites are iconic Florida raptors adapted to feed on apple snails once abundant across the Everglades and the Sunshine State's vast wetlands. Loss of habitat to ditching and draining caused a plunge in their population numbers, which further shrunk when the native apple snail species began to disappear. When Snail Kites learned to feed on invasive apple snails, their numbers rebounded to 3,000 birds. Unfortunately, two dry years in a row and the boom-and-bust nature of the invasive apple snail has sent their population plunging once more.
Since the River of Grass was drained and ditched in the mid-20th century, kite populations have been on a roller coaster ride.
In just a decade, from 1999 to 2009, their numbers dropped from about 3,000 to only 700. Then, something unexpected happened: Non-native, channeled apple snails appeared in Florida waters. Channeled snails are much larger, longer lived, more prolific, and more resilient than our native snails. The snails spread so rapidly and widely that the kites learned to eat them; their population rebounded to 3,000 birds by 2019.
Many hoped that the population rebound would make kites secure due to this new food source. Unfortunately, recent monitoring data paints a more complicated picture. In 2025, Florida experienced an abnormally dry spring, and the University of Florida reported only 30 successful Snail Kite nests in the entire state. No successful nests came from the two largest historic kite nesting regions: the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee. The previous year also wrought a dry spring and poor nesting success. As a result, the population estimate for 2025 has dropped to about 2,000 kites total. The 2026 population estimate is expected to be even lower.
Audubon has led Snail Kite conservation for more than 90 years. The first wardens patrolled to protect kites from hunters and educate people about their importance. Roderick Chandler, our third Okeechobee warden, worked with researchers from universities and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, first by guiding them to where kites were, then helping with behavioral and nesting studies. They even learned to put baskets under nests that were in danger of collapsing.
Recently, Audubon worked with conservation partners to form and co-chair the multi-agency, multi-disciplinary Snail Kite Coordinating Committee. The committee meets in the spring and fall; so far, we have learned that even though exotic snails can be prolific, their availability shrinks during drought years. Additionally, the exotics are a boom-and-bust kind of species, and during bust years, kites can’t rely on them. As for the native snail populations, their numbers remain low, and we don’t know why. They have not recovered enough in the Everglades or in most major lakes to the extent that they could support Snail Kites on their own.
Audubon is a leading nonprofit conservation organization with 125 years of science-based, community-driven impact, dedicated to protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Birds are powerful indicators of our planet’s health, acting as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and inspire action. Audubon works across the Sunshine State, driven by the understanding that what is good for birds is good for the planet. Through a collaborative, bipartisan approach across habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes.
Key Points:
- Snail Kites are specialized raptors that rely on apple snails, making them highly vulnerable to wetland changes and drought.
- Habitat loss from draining and ditching Florida wetlands contributed to long-term population declines.
- Kite numbers fell from about 3,000 birds in 1999 to around 700 by 2009, then rebounded after kites adapted to eating invasive channeled apple snails.
- Audubon reports that in 2025, Florida’s dry spring led to only 30 successful nests statewide, with no successful nests in the Everglades or Lake Okeechobee regions.
- The 2025 population estimate has dropped to about 2,000 birds, and the 2026 estimate is expected to be even lower.
