snail kite

American  

noun

1. a bird of prey, Rostrhamus sociabilis, that travels in flocks in the American tropics and feeds on snails.

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Example Sentences

“We have also found that female snail kites prefer breeding with males with bigger beaks,” said Robert J. Fletcher Jr., a snail kite expert from the University of Florida.

From New York Times

In Florida, north of Lake Okeechobee, the spread of the fist-size island apple snail, which escaped from the aquarium trade, has prompted a remarkable change not just in the diet but in the body of the endangered snail kite.

From New York Times

And the endangered Everglades snail kite is showing a fondness for an exotic species of the mollusk, another latecomer to the region.

From Seattle Times

Some, like the snail kite, are well-liked and heavily protected.

From Washington Times

The snail kite, an endangered species native to the Everglades, hadn’t been seen as far north as Gainesville for 100 years - until last year, that is.

From Washington Times