Rostrhamus sociabilis
The Snail Kite is fairly common in the Ibera Marshes where it can easily find its favourite food, snails. It is part of the family Accipitridae.
The male, female and juvenile are all dissimilar.
The male is around 38cm, a striking dark grey with a short hooked bill, pinkish skin above the cere, yellow cere and deep red eyes. In flight you can see a distinctive white rump and the bird has orange legs. The wings are broad and the tail is triangular shaped, white with a black band.
The female has dark brown upperparts and pale streaked underparts. She has a pale face with dark streaked crown, and the cere and legs are yellow/orange.
The juvenile is similar to the female but has a strong white supercilium and lacks the red eyes.
