NPR - In Florida, an invasive snail is helping save an endangered bird
In Florida's Everglades, few species are more closely tied to the habitat's health than an endangered bird, the snail kite. Over the past century, as much of their habitat was drained and water stopped flowing through parts of the Everglades, the snail kite population plummeted. It was one of the first birds put on the endangered species list in the 1960s. Droughts contributed to the snail kite's decline and by 2007, there were fewer than 800 remaining. But the kite has bounced back recently thanks to an exotic snail. It's a rare case of an invasive species having a positive impact.
These photos were made under the supervision of a licensed University of Florida scientific researcher and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission official while they monitored the Everglades Snail Kites. All wildlife photographed from a safe distance to avoid disturbing nesting and endangered wildlife.
A boat at Alvin Ward Senior Memorial Park near Lake Okeechobee in Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
Invasive Apple Snail eggs at Lake Okeechobee in Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Snail Kite Conservation Coordinator, Tyler Beck, stands on top of an airboat on Lake Okeechobee to observe Snail Kites near Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
Lake Okeechobee near Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
Invasive Apple Snail shells at Lake Okeechobee near Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
A female Snail Kite carries an Apple Snail while flying over Lake Okeechobee near Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
Snail Kite hatchlings are counted using a telescopic mirror by University of Florida Wildlife Biologist and Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Researcher, Brian Jeffery, on Lake Okeechobee near Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Snail Kite Conservation Coordinator, Tyler Beck, drives an airboat on Lake Okeechobee near Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
University of Florida Wildlife Biologist and Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Researcher, Brian Jeffery, at Alvin Ward Senior Memorial Park in Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
A hatched Snail Kite egg in a nest on Lake Okeechobee Florida near Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Snail Kite Conservation Coordinator, Tyler Beck, holds a native Apple Snail shell on Lake Okeechobee near Moore Haven, Florida on February 10, 2023. (Sydney Walsh for NPR)
