Quantcast

Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensisOrder: FALCONIFORMESFamily: Kites, Eagles and Hawks (Accipitridae)

Mississippi Kite Portrait_2
  Copyright 2002-2007 Whatbird.com
Click here for licensing information Splitbar

General

Mississippi Kite: Small kite with dark gray upperparts and pale gray underparts and head. Upperwings are dark gray with pale gray patches. Tail is long and black. Sexes are similar, but female is noticeably larger. Juvenile has brown upperparts, brown streaked underparts, and dark tail with thin, white bands.

Range and Habitat

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.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"phee-phew"

Interesting Facts

  • The Mississippi Kite is similar in size to the Peregrine Falcon; however the falcon can be 3 times heavier.
  • It has also been called Mosquito Hawk, Blue Snake-hawk, Hovering Kite, and Locust-eater.
  • A group of kites has many collective nouns, including a "brood", "kettle", "roost", "stooping", and "string" of kites.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

Splitbar
Range Map for Mississippi Kite
.
Bird database and its related content, illustrations and media is Copyright © 2002 - 2007  Whatbird.com
All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced without written permission from Mitch Waite Group.
 Privacy Policy.
Percevia® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Ictinia mississippiensis
Length13 - 17 Inches
Wingspan35.5 Inches

Mississippi Kite

Mississippi Kite: Small kite, dark gray upperparts, pale gray underparts and head. Eyes are red. Upperwings are dark gray with pale gray patches. Tail is long and black. Feeds on large flying insects. Bouyant flight with steady wing beats, alternates several wing strokes with short to long glides.

● Song: "phee-phew"

● Foraging & Feeding: Mississippi Kite: Feeds extensively on large insects including grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, and dragonflies; also takes lizards, frogs, and fish; catches insects on the wing.

● Breeding & 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.

● Similar species: Mississippi Kite: White-tailed Kite has a paler tail, black shoulder patches, and a black "thumb" mark underwing. Northern Harrier has dark secondary feathers, white rump patch, and a facial disk.

Flight Pattern

Buoyant flight with steady wingbeats., Sometimes alternates several wing strokes with short to long glides.
Mississippi Kite Body Illustration_2
● Range & Habitat: 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.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationCommon to fairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight12.6 Ounces