Mississippi kite

Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis)
Description The Mississippi kite is a beautiful, falcon-like bird whose body is an overall gray color and whose head is a lighter ashy gray.

Mississippi Kite
Relatives in same Genus
Plumbeous Kite (I. plumbea) ...

Mississippi Kite
Immature
Similar Species
White-tailed Kite has white tail and black spots on wings.

The Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) nests across much of the south east and south central United States. In the fall, the species often migrates in flocks as they head south, but often single individuals may be encountered.

THE MISSISSIPPI KITE.
[Mississippi Kite.]
ICTINIA PLUMBEUS, Gmel.
[Ictinia mississippiensis.] ...

Mississippi Kite
A graceful flier, this kite is agile enough to catch dragonflies on the wing!
Buoyant in Flight ...

Mississippi Kite, Ictinia mississippiensis
Plumbeous Kite, Ictinia plumbea
Genus Rostrhamus
Snail Kite, Rostrhamus sociabilis ...

Mississippi kites breed in Arizona and the southern Great Plains, east to the Carolinas and south to the Gulf Coast. They are found in the largest numbers in the central states of Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis. Breeder. Fairly common in spring, summer, and fall in Inland Coastal Plain and Gulf Coast regions. Rare and local in spring, summer, and early fall in Tennessee Valley.

Similar Species: Mississippi Kite
Conservation Status: Has increased in numbers and range since the early 20th century, when it was persecuted needlessly by farmers who thought it threatened their poultry.

Mississippi Kite, Ictinia mississippiensis
Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
White-tailed Eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla (C)
Steller's Sea-Eagle, Haliaeetus pelagicus (C)
Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus ...

The swallow-tailed, white-tailed, and Mississippi kites are found in the Gulf states and in Central and South America. The Everglade kite, Rostrhamus sociabilis, feeds exclusively on a large freshwater snail.

But just an hour later, in the clear blue sky overhead, an adult Mississippi Kite appeared and soared around for about 5 minutes. This was a first confirmed sighting for the province, and a "lifer" for me.

Gulls and terns are similar in coloration but lack black shoulder and wrist marks and have a different bill shape. Mississippi Kite has a similar shape, but is much darker in all plumages, never having a white breast, white tail, ...

Two Swallow-tailed Kites with an Anhinga. We saw 7 Swallow-tailed Kites (1 immature) and 1 Mississippi Kite at this location. Cape Fear River about a mile upstream from Riegelwood, Columbus Co., NC 7/19/03.

Kite Birds belonging to the Hawk family, found nesting near water and marshes, in warm parts of the world. Kites chiefly prey on reptiles, insects, and frogs. The swallowed tailed, white tailed, and Mississippi kites are found in the Gulf states and ...

Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis)
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) ...

Their high numbers are joined by flocks of Turkey Vultures, Broad-winged Hawks, and Mississippi Kites, making one spectacular sight of migrating raptors. The round-trip migration can cover more than 20,000 km.

Birds that prey upon eastern box turtles include American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Mississippi kites (Ictinia mississippiensis), barn owls (Tyto alba), herring gulls (Larus argentatus), and turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) [35,46].

interested in knowing just when and why these congregations of Red-headed Woodpeckers can found there (with help from the Wake County Audubon chapter, of course), but other times of the year Lumber River IBA hosts nesting Mississippi Kites and ...

See also: Hawk, Falcon, Swallow, Perch, Warbler