The Snail Kite, as its name suggests, feeds on snails, especially Pomacea freshwater snails known as apple snails. To extract the soft part the snail it inserts the hook into the shell to cut the muscle which connects the flesh to the shell. So the shell stays intact. The other apple snail predator is the limpkin which has a completely different bill. To reach the soft part the limpkin pecks at the shell making a hole. The presence or absence of a hole tells us who the predator is.

Sergio and Cora saw only 5 (most certainly the same which had split) that flew along with a roadside hawk

Sergio and Cora saw only 5 (most certainly the sme which had split from the group) that flew along with a roadside hawk