Snail Kite - A New Bird Species For Barbados

Juvenile Snail Kite

Barbados has recorded its 273^rd bird species - a Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)(Clements Checklist v2019 / Avibase) . The juvenile bird was seen and recorded on video at Bay Street, St. Michael by a resident, who shared the video with local birders.  I visited the area on the 8^th and had no problem locating the bird, which was very tolerant of pedestrian traffic.  What was even more surprising than finding this bird was seeing what it was eating.  As its common name suggested this bird feeds mainly on snails,  an aquatic species of snail called Apple Snails to be exact, a snail not common to our island, if present at all.

Top of eaten Blackback Land Crab

underneath eaten Blackback Land Crab

The bird was feeding on Blackback Land Crabs (Gecarcinus lateralis) and as the images above shows, was efficiently doing so.

The Snail Kite is a medium-sized hawk about 14 - 19” (36 - 48 cm) in length with a long, broad, and rounded wings which are 39–47” (99–120 cm) in width. It has a long, squared-off tail, synonymous with kites, and a dark tipped very hooked beak.  Females and Juveniles, like this one, shows dark brown upperparts, while it is heavily streaked underneath, with the adult female having more of a white base, a field marking being a super bright supercilium or eye brow, while the juvenile base color is more yellowish.  The legs are mainly yellow.  The male Snail Kite is a striking fellow, dark grey all over, with red eyes, bill base, and legs.

This bird most likely arrived from South America, which is the closest range of these birds to Barbados, but there is also a Caribbean breeding population in Cuba and also one in Florida, USA.

We will continue to monitor and document this bird, another first for Barbados, and give updates on any changes.

Stay safe and enjoy your birding.