GREGARIOUS (MAY CONGREGATE): SNAIL KITE

The Snail Kite has one of the most specialized tools among raptors: a long, deeply curved beak designed to pull snails—the birds' main food—out of their shells. This specialized diet restricts the Snail Kite to wetlands, so if that habitat is destroyed, the bird declines.

When hunting, Snail Kites fly low over marshlands, plunging down to snatch snails from just under the water or from vegetation. They then return to a favorite perch to feed. Although common in Latin America, the species is a federal and state endangered species in the United States.

Snail Kites are gregarious and may congregate in flocks at roost sites (as this recording from Brazil demonstrates) or while foraging for food. The birds also nest in colonies in low trees and bushes, usually over water. This species is markedly dimorphic: males are a dark blue-gray with striking red legs and females are streaked brown and white, with a white eyebrow line.

The U.S. population of Snail Kites dropped precipitously from 3,000 in the late 1990s to approximately 700 today. Water management in the Everglades and in the central and south Florida lakes is the most important human-controlled factor affecting the survival and recovery of the species in the U.S.

In addition, the small Florida population is threatened by pesticides and nutrient run-off. Invasive plants such as melaleuca make it difficult for the kites to forage.

Listen To The Call of the Snail Kite (Link) 

* Source:  American Bird Conservancy Bird Of The Week; Female above; Male below

A CONSPICUOUS RESIDENT THROUGHOUT ITS RANGE

NOTE:  And wouldn’t you like to be known as the Streamer-Tailed Tyrant?  And to be the American Bird Conservancy's  Bird of the Week?

“This large flycatcher is a resident of wet South American grasslands and is named for its long, deeply forked tail, which plays a role in courtship. A pair will perch facing each other, bobbing up and down and fanning their tails while calling continuously. 

The Streamer-tailed Tyrant can be found at the Barba Azul Reserve in Bolivia, created by ABC and Asociación Armonia in 2008 to protect unique Beni savanna habitat and the critically endangered Blue-throated Macaw. Other unique and threatened species that can be found at Barba Azul include the Cock-tailed Tyrant, Orinoco Goose, and Buff-breasted Sandpiper, which stops here during migration.

The Bolivian population of the species found in Barba Azul is isolated by over 400 miles of Beni savannas from populations in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Further study may reveal that it has evolved into a distinct species.

Bennett Hennessey of Armonía remarked: “The Streamer-tailed Tyrant has been recorded along the edge of the forest islands in Barba Azul. It comes and goes, sometimes present for several days, and then is off somewhere else in the reserve for other periods. We hope one day to be able to study the habits of this Bolivian variant in more detail.”

The Streamer-tailed Tyrant is usually found singly or in pairs. The birds perch on low trees, bushes, and telephone wires, sallying out to forage over marshy areas for insects. Its loud, repeated "wurreep" call makes it a conspicuous resident throughout its range.”