Cyclic Drought, Dispersal, and the Conservation of the Snail Kite in Florida: Lessons in Critical Habitat

Abstract

Abstract:Studies of the dispersal of the Florida Snail Kite, an endangered hawk that inhabits flooded wetlands and feeds almost solely on apple snails, illustrate the problems associated with protecting habitats for migratoty and wandering species with disjunct habitat requirements. Before a drought in 1985, most kites 2oere sighted in the large tracts of Everglades that were used for nesting. During the drought however, 60 percent of the sightings of kites reported to our sighting hotline were from smaller wetlands and other drought‐related habitats, mostly in Palm B e d and surrounding counties Although these small wetlands are important emergency habitats used by kites to suruive during drought, they are not designated as “critical habitat” and are being developed at a rapid rate We discuss the problems of uncertainty, cumulative effects, and compromise in theprocess of evaluating development proposals and protecting small; isolated habitats. We identify key sites used by kites during drought and suggest ways to conserve this species in Florida by mitigating drought‐induced population crashes The usefulness of sighting hotlines for assessing dispersal data is also evaluated.