The Kite and the Snail: An Endangered Bird, Its Unlikely Prey, and a Story of Hope in a Changing World

by Hilary Flower

Genres: Animals, Science

246 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2026

About the author

Hilary Flower lives in Florida with her youngest (16 yrs). She teaches Environmental Studies at Eckerd College. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia, an M.A. in Geological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida, Tampa. Her writing has appeared in many magazines, including Mothering Magazine, Salon.com, and Brain, Child. Hilary Flower is the author of the books, ADVENTURES IN TANDEM NURSING and ADVENTURES IN GENTLE DISCIPLINE.

Reviews

[Craig Pittman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an astounding book! I knew some of this wild story, but far from all of it. Hilary Flower, a scientist from Eckerd College, has tracked down exactly the right people, settings and experiences to tell the tale.

In recent years, the Everglades snail kite, an endangered bird, saw its usual prey, the Everglades snail, largely disappear. One reason for the Everglades snails' disappearance: the influx of an invasive snail that could outbreed and outcompete the native species.

The kites, in an amazing bit of evolutionary adaptation, developed the anatomy and ability to catch and feed on the invasive snails, which are larger than the native ones.

Flower, although a first-time author, does a masterful job of telling this story and then exploring all of its ramifications and permutations. Although she's dealing with some high-falutin' scientific concepts, Flower ensures that her lay readers know what's going on and where. It helps, too, that she's broken the narrative up into fairly short chapters.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention -- and commend her for -- the profuse illustrations in the book, which are a combo of photos, maps and charts to orient readers to what's going on.

The story reaches a stunning conclusion when Flower gets to go along with a couple of scientists who capture and band the kites for research, and she gets to hold one in her hand. She sees, at last, what Emily Dickinson meant when she wrote that "hope is the thing with feathers."

All in all a wonderful book and I look forward to Flower's next literary product.

[Darren Rumbold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent. The author brings you along on her journey of learning about nature; you can sense her excitement. It is a light and easy introduction to kite biology and a bit of history on the management of this endangered species. I had the good fortune to work with kites for several years early in my career as a government scientist, and yet I still learned new things reading this book. It would be a great book for birders and non-birders, and the Snail kite is a worthy focus. While some might not consider it as majestic as the bald eagle, its graceful, calm flight in pursuit of snails is a joy to watch.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilary Flower set out to solve a mystery: Why had the Everglades snail kite largely abandoned the Everglades and where had it gone? What she discovered was a story of resilience and adaptation. When water in the Everglades got too deep, the kites moved north. And when domestic apple snails became more difficult to find, they adapted to eating invasive foreigners. The key to protecting the endangered bird, she learned, is protecting our wetlands.

Flowers' first-person style of story telling makes for an engaging read. My favorite part was an account of taking one of the invasive snails home to observe in an aquarium.