The Everglades snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) is one of Florida's most iconic bird species. Everglades snail kites are crow sized raptors that inhabit the lakes and marshes of South-Central Florida. As their name implies, the snail kite is a dietary specialist, relying almost exclusively on freshwater apple snails (Pomacea spp.) for food. Although common throughout Central and South America, the snail kite population in Florida is the only population within the United States. The U.S. population is federally listed as endangered and has undergone precipitous declines within the past decade, currently numbering fewer than 1,000 individuals. The reasons for this decline are attributable primarily to habitat loss and fragmentation and alterations to the hydrologic regimes of Florida's wetlands.

Wetlands are not only important to snail kites for foraging, but also for nesting; snail kite nests are almost always built over water to protect their eggs and young from terrestrial predators. Traditionally, snail kite nesting was concentrated in the southern Everglades and on Lake Okeechobee but snail kite breeding has shifted spatially in recent years. Traditional nesting areas have decreased dramatically in snail kite production, while in recent years snail kite breeding has become concentrated on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes at the northern extent of the kite's range.

Since 1986 the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit has been monitoring the snail kite population in Florida. The population is monitored primarily through mark-resight surveys conducted from airboat. These surveys cover wetlands occurring throughout the entire extent of the kite's range from the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes to the Everglades. This intensive monitoring effort was necessary to reveal the decline in the snail kite population given that snail kites are wide ranging, highly nomadic, and can occupy wetlands that are not readily accessible. These surveys not only estimate population size, but also survival, movement rates, and a variety of other demographic parameters. The surveys are conducted primarily during the snail kite's breeding season, allowing nests to be located and nestlings banded. All of the information from the population monitoring surveys is directly provided to a variety of agencies, including the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC), and the South Florida Water Management District. These data are then used to make informed decisions regarding vegetation and water management and can allow management to be carried out in an adaptive manner. Furthermore, given the reliance of the snail kite on the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, the status of these birds is an indicator of the overall system health.

In addition to monitoring the population, the Florida Coop Unit also conducts a variety of other research to guide the conservation of the snail kite on a smaller scale. Most recently, projects were funded by FFWCC and USFWS to focus on habitat use of snail kites on Lake Tohopekaliga (Lake Toho). Lake Toho is a lake in the Kissimmee Chain which has been particularly important to snail kite breeding in the last five years. Snail kite research on Lake Toho examined how breeding snail kite's use the lake shore habitat for foraging by following radio-tagged individuals and identified the cause of snail kite nesting failure using game cameras. Given that Lake Toho is a popular destination for fishermen, duck hunters, and recreational boaters, careful management is required to ensure that the lake is suitable for all user groups and remains viable breeding habitat for the snail kite.

Nothing illustrates the need for careful balance better than the issue of hydrilla management. Hydrilla, an intensively invasive aquatic plant, can be detrimental to native fish stocks at high quantities, fouls boat propellers, and limits native vegetation growth. However, the plant is readily consumed by waterfowl, provides excellent fish habitat at moderate levels, and is heavily used as a foraging substrate by snail kites. Managing hydrilla in ways that maintain snail kite foraging habitat while satisfying the requirements of all stakeholders and ensuring the integrity of the native lake ecosystem has involved extensive inter-agency cooperation and planning. The results of this effort have been to move toward an adaptive model of vegetation treatment on Lake Toho, in which each year's treatments are evaluated and adjusted based on the success of previous year's treatment and the snail kite's response to the treatments.

The wetlands of Florida are a complex, dynamic environment. Even now, novel situations are arising that are causing the need to reevaluate how the snail kite survives in this constantly shifting landscape. The introduction of an exotic apple snail (Pomacea insularum) presents a variety of issues which have the potential to dramatically affect the snail kite population. Will this new snail provide a more stable and abundant food resource? Are there costs associated with the snail kite feeding on this larger snail? Will the presence of this ubiquitous and robust snail in altered wetlands lessen the kite's need for the relatively pristine marshes that have historically supported the kite population? Furthermore, climate change threatens to completely alter the patterns of drought that have long driven the hydrologic and vegetative characteristics of the wetlands that are so vital to the snail kite. Will the current network of wetlands be enough to support the snail kite in a system with increased drought frequencies? The answers to these questions may hold the key to protecting the future of the snail kite in Florida.

As a new resource in 2013, the ONB will include articles from Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units across the country. Working with key cooperators, including WMI, Units are leading exciting, new wildlife research projects that we believe our readers will appreciate reading about.