Look up to find a Mississippi kite soaring overhead, just like flying a kite. Plus, learn where to find this raptor, and what it eats.
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What Does a Mississippi Kite Look Like?
Spotting a Mississippi kite often requires looking up. You’re more likely to find this slim, medium-sized raptor in the air than perched in a tree. From beneath, check for a dark-colored tail, pointed wings, and a light-colored head. If you find the bird stationary rather than in flight, look for grayish wings, dark coloring around the eyes, and white-gray plumage around the head and neck. Males and females are identical.
Range and Habitat
Locating a Mississippi kite might require a trip to a few specific places in the United States. They’re spotted during breeding season in several Southeast states, including Georgia, parts of Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. They have a separate breeding season range in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Portions of their patchy, less-frequent range extend into the Midwest.
If you’re looking for this bird, you’re likely to find it along streams and in forests. Their preferred habitat differs based on the region of the country the bird calls home; in some places they prefer forests near open areas, and in others they nest in prairies and even human-populated places, such as golf courses.
Diet: What Does a Mississippi Kite Eat?
Despite belonging to the same family as hawks, Mississippi kites predominantly dine on insects. They search for grasshoppers, cicadas, and beetles, as well as dragonflies and moths. In smaller amounts, they do eat more typical “hawk” fare like rodents and small birds. Mississippi kites are known to eat on the go; they often catch prey while swooping and soaring gracefully in the air.
Nesting Habits
These birds usually nest in trees, and in colonies. Interestingly, they — unlike many bird species — will sometimes reuse nests or build on old nests. They’ll even repurpose old squirrel nests!
Females lay clutches of one to three eggs, and incubation lasts for about a month. After another month, young leave the nest.
Mississippi Kite Calls and Sounds
The Mississippi kite’s call is a short, high note followed by a whistle that descends in pitch. Hearing the bird’s call is relatively uncommon.
Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Sources
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Mississippi Kite: Life History“
- National Audubon Society, “Field Guide: Mississippi Kite“
