Mississippi kite

Mississippi Kites breed across the central and southern United States. Breeding territory has expanded in recent years and Mississippi Kites have been sighted in the southern New England states as far as Newmarket NH . They migrate to southern subtropical South America in the winter. Mississippi Kites usually lay two white eggs in twig nests that rest in a variety of deciduous trees. In the past 75 years, they have undergone changes in nesting habitat from use of forest and savanna to include shelterbelts and are now very common nesters in urban areas of all sizes in the western south-central states.

The Mississippi kite is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis Order FALCONIFORMES – Family ACCIPITRIDAE Issue No. 402 Authors: Parker, James W. * Articles * Multimedia * References Courtesy Preview This Introductory article that you are viewing is a courtesy preview of the full life history account of this species. The remaining articles (Distribution, Habitat, Behavior, etc. More

The Mississippi Kite, Ictinia mississippiensis, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is 12 to 14 inches (30–36 cm) beak to tail and has a wingspan averaging 3 feet (91 cm). Adults are gray with darker gray on their tail feathers and outer wings and lighter gray on their heads and inner wings. Males and females look alike, but the males are slightly paler on the head and neck. Young kites have banded tails and streaked bodies. More

TN11154 MISSISSIPPI KITE ICTINIA MISSISSIPPIENSIS Tennessee Animal Biogeographic System TABS = version 12/2002 Taxonomy Status Distribution Habitat Associations Food Habits Environmental Associations Life History Management Practices References References - 88* LeGrand, H.E., Jr., Hamel, P.B. 1980. Bird-habitat associations on southeastern forest lands. More

Mississippi kites nest in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, southeastern Colorado, southern Kansas, and the eastern states from southern Missouri to South Carolina. The southern Great Plains is considered a stronghold for the species. Kites migrate in the fall to their wintering grounds in central South America. Mississippi kites nest primarily along riparian areas and in mesquite (Prosopis spp.) thickets and tree plantings such as shelterbelts, windbreaks, farm woodlots, urban parks, and urban residential woodlots. More

Mississippi Kite: Nests locally in the U.S. from Kansas, Iowa, Tennessee and South Carolina south to north-western Florida, and the Gulf coast to eastern Texas. Some occasionally winter in Florida. Prefers open country that supports flying insects; also found in forests. Breeding and Nesting Mississippi Kite: One to three lightly spotted, white to pale blue eggs are laid in a minimally refurbished abandoned crow's or other nest. Eggs are incubated by both parents for about 30 days. More

The Mississippi Kite is an agile, graceful, yet deadly raptor. They are aptly named "kite", as they are often found hovering in midair. They mainly eat large insects, like grasshoppers, crickets, and cicadas. They will choose a group of insects and dive at them, knocking them out of the air. They will not land or alight on a limb to eat their catch, but eat it in midair and resume hunting in seconds. More

kite-lg11The Mississippi Kite is a nesting bird in Oklahoma, one of the late returners from its wintering grounds to the south. May is the month I associate with this kite becoming a common sight in the western two-thirds of Oklahoma. We have the best state bird—the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher—of any state, but I also think of the Mississippi Kite as one of Oklahoma’s special birds. More

The Mississippi Kite: Portrait of a Southern Hawk = by Eric G Bolen, Dan Flores FLOATING ON AIR CURRENTS over rural countryside and open city spaces, the Mississippi Kite presents a familiar sight to many people across the southern United ... Show synopsis FLOATING ON AIR CURRENTS over rural countryside and open city spaces, the Mississippi Kite presents a familiar sight to many people across the southern United States, although this graceful hawk is not well known by name. More

A graceful, long-winged raptor, the Mississippi Kite is found in scattered localities across the southern and central United States. Come watch nesting birds at Nestcams. More

The Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis is a raptor in family Accipitridae. Distribution / Range It breeds in the Southeastern United States and as far west as the Southern High Plains of Texas. Nesting / Breeding It lays 2 to 3 eggs in a stick nest. It nests in loose flocks, its very gregarious. More

I have seen Mississippi Kites in the Chappell Hill area during the summer months since at least 1985. From the mid-80s to the mid-90s Mississippi Kites nested in large pecan trees near the Chappell Hill United Methodist Church on the east side of downtown. Since 1998 Mississippi Kites have been nesting on the north side of Chappell Hill in my neighborhood. Since that time I have learned a great deal about the daily lives of the kites. More

The Mississippi Kite can sometimes be seen catching insect prey in midair using one or both feet. Then, while soaring, a foot is extended to the bill and inedible parts such as wings are pulled off and discarded, and the prey is eaten. Mississippi Kites sometimes hunt in groups even during the breeding season, but migration is the time when the largest groups of kites can be observed. More

Bent Life History for the Mississippi Kite - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. MISSISSIPPI KITE ICTINIA MISISIPPIENSIS (Wilson) HABITS As I have never seen this kite in life, I shall have to rely wholly on the observations of others. It is a bird of the Lower Austral Zone, being seen chiefly in the Southern States from South Carolina and northern Florida to Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. More

Mississippi Kites have been breeding in Greensboro for the last 5 seasons. After several weeks of searching, on 10 Aug 2008 Scott DePue found this year's nest with a single chick on it, in the same neighborhood as when they were originally discovered in 2004. They have been faithful to this general area every year. By 11 Aug the chick had left the nest. Mississippi Kite Adult Mississippi Kite. More

Description: The Mississippi kite's adult head is white to pale gray, with a small amount of black around the eye. The back and upper wings are slate gray, the white of the upper secondaries can be seen as a patch on the perched bird and as a wide band in flight. In flight, seen from below the body is medium gray and wings a darker slate gray, the blackish tail is squared and sometimes slightly notched. Immature kites have brown streaked breast with striped tail. More

of Mississippi Kite admission # 016861 from TWRC. Carol Mitchell-Lee, thank you for accepting the Mississippi Kite for rehab care of flight conditioning, prey training and release. More

The Mississippi kite is a beautiful, falcon-like bird whose body is an overall gray color and whose head is a lighter ashy gray. It has a completely black tail, deep red eyes, and yellow to red legs. In flight, this bird is smooth, graceful, and buoyant. Life History Mississippi kites are very social in all activities. More