Distribution

R. s. plumbeus. Figures 1 and 2 . Year-round resident in peninsular Florida, where locally common in flooded freshwater marshes with open-water areas with common to abundant apple-snail populations. Semi-nomadic in response to food availability and other factors. May use some localities for long periods (e.g., several years), abandon them, and then reoccupy them when conditions again become favorable. Uses some sites for short periods or infrequently, uses others only during dispersals as a result of severe regional drought conditions (Sykes 1979, 1983a, Beissinger and Takekawa 1983, Rodgers et al. 1988, Bennetts et al. 1994a). Does not use any locality continuously over a long period. Range is restricted by specialized food requirements.

Current Florida range comprises 6 large freshwater systems, some interconnected, and several small, isolated wetlands (Beissinger and Takekawa 1983, Sykes 1984, Rodgers et al. 1988, Bennetts and Kitchens 1992, Rumbold and Mihalik 1994): (1) Kissimmee River valley, including Lakes E. Tohopekaliga, Tohopekaliga, Marion, Marian, Cypress, Pierce, Hatchineha, Kissimmee, Arbuckle, and Istokpoga, and Coquina Water Conservation District impoundments; (2) St. Johns River, including E. Orlando Wilderness Park wetlands; Blue Cypress Marsh complex composed of E. and W. Flow-ways, Garcia Ranch, E. and W. Anson and Jewish Federation tracts, Blue Cypress Marsh; St. Johns Reservoir; and Cloud Lake, Strazulla, and Indrio impoundments; (3) Lake Okeechobee, north and west side from Henry Creek to Ritta I.; (4) Loxahatchee Slough, including W. Palm Beach Water Catchment Area and borrow pit west of Florida Turnpike; (5) Florida Everglades, including Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Water Conservation Area [WCA] 1), WCA 2A, WCA 2B, Holey Land Wildlife Management Area, WCA 3A south of Alligator Alley, WCA 3B, The Pocket, Shark River Valley and Taylor sloughs n. Everglades National Park (NP), E. Everglades, and C–111 basin west of U.S. Highway 1; (6) Big Cypress National Preserve, including Lostman’s and Okaloacoochee sloughs, Hinson Marsh, and E. Loop and Corn Dance units. Small wetlands include Savannas County Park (St. Lucie Co.), Pal–Mar Water Conservation District impoundments in Allapattah Flats (Martin and Palm Beach co.), Hancock impoundment (Hendry Co.), and Lehigh Acres (Lee Co.).

Extralimital reports, all sightings, include Long Co., GA (Sykes 1984); and Cameron, Calhoun, and Jim Wells co., TX (Webster 1972, 1974, 1977, 1978). The 4 Texas sightings were probably R. s. major from Mexico.

Locally rare to common resident in Cuba at San Cristobal, Pinar del Rio Prov.; Artemisa and Lake Ariguanabo, Habana Prov.; Lake Tesoro and the Zapata Marshes, Matanzas Prov.; Lake Solis, Camaguey Prov.; lower Cauto River basin, Granma Prov.; and rare in the Lanier Marshes and at Santa Rosalia on Isla de la Juventud (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950, Garrido and Montaña 1975, Beissinger et al. 1983). Honduras, at Laguna Toloa and Lake Yojoa (Monroe 1968).

R. s. Major. Resident locally in e. and s. Mex-ico in Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo and local or seasonal in Guerrero and Yucatán (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950, Binford 1989, Howell and Webb 1995); Belize from New River and Hill Bank Lagoon south to Stann Creek (Russell 1964); Guatemala in Petén District at Panzós (Polochic Delta) and Escuintia District (Río María Linda drainage) (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Land 1970, Howell and Webb 1995, C. S. Robbins pers. comm.).

R. s. sociabilis. Nicaragua at Rivas, Isla de Ometépe, Rio San Juan del Norte, and Los Sábalos (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950); Costa Rica in Rio Frío-Caño Negro region, Tempisque Basin, and sporadic elsewhere in lowlands of Atlantic and Pacific slopes (Stiles and Skutch 1989); and rare and very local in Panama (Ridgely and Gwynne 1989). Common locally throughout South America from n. Colombia south, mainly east of Andes, but also in Caribbean lowlands and Río Cauca valley of Colombia (Hilty and Brown 1986) and sw. Ecuador (Maualoi and Los Ríos south into Guayas; R. S. Ridgely pers. comm.). Found in lowlands of n. Venezuela and coastal lowlands of Guyana, Surinam, and French Guiana (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Haverschmidt 1968, Beissinger 1990a), but not in Guyana highlands; rare visitor to Trinidad at Nariva Swamp, Caroni Marshes, and Pointe-à-Pierre Reservoir (ffrench 1991). Found locally throughout Brazil, except on Brazilian Plateau and in southeast, in e. Bolivia in departments of Beni and Santa Cruz, e. Paraguay, all of Uruguay, and through n. Argentina, except in Chaco, south to n. half of Buenos Aires Prov. (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Friedmann 1950).

Not recorded.

Original range in Florida much larger than present. Formerly throughout peninsula from Wakulla River (Wakulla Co.), lower Wacissa River (Jefferson Co.), Micanopy (Alachua Co.), and near Jacksonville (Duval Co.) south through Everglades to mangrove forest (Dade and Monroe Cos.; Howell 1932, Sykes 1984). Snail Kites recorded in 33 Florida counties (49% of 69 counties) (Sykes 1984). Estimated that in wet years one-quarter of Florida was flooded with freshwater for most of year (Tebeau 1971). Widespread loss and degradation of wetlands has resulted in range reduction. Since early 1900s, habitat loss in southern half of peninsula was estimated at about 50% (Sykes 1983b). The Everglades, largest wetland system in Florida, originally comprised about 4,418 km²and currently comprise 2,473 km²—a loss of 56% (Stieglitz and Thompson 1967). For detailed account of historic range, refer to Sykes 1984 .

Current range is from E. Orlando wetlands (latitude 28°35'N) south to C–111 basin (latitude 25°16'N) (Sykes 1984, Bennetts and Kitchens 1992, Bennetts et al. 1994a, Rodgers 1995). Now absent from Gulf Coast counties, most lakes in central peninsula, former marshes on Kissimmee River floodplain, Everglades Agricultural Area bordering Lake Okeechobee on east and south, WCA 3A north of Alligator Alley, former marshes along southeast coast in e. Martin and Palm Beach co., and s. Everglades NP (Sykes 1983b, 1984, Rodgers et al. 1988, Bennetts and Kitchens 1992). In drought years may disperse to fresh-water wetlands throughout peninsula (Beissinger and Takekawa 1983, Takekawa and Beissinger 1989).

No information.