Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensisOrder: FALCONIFORMES Family: Kites, Eagles and Hawks (Accipitridae)

Codes: Common Name: MIKI Scientific Name: ICTMIS ITIS Taxonomic No.: 554268

Head

Topo Map: Hawk-like Head

Bill Shape: Hooked
Eye Color: Juvenile altering gradually to orange-brown and then bright red. Adult bright carmen or scarlet red, with white irises seen.
Head Pattern: Plain, Eyering (complete or broken)
Crown Color: White
Forehead Color: White
Nape Color: White
Throat Color: White
Cere color: Buff

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Body

Topo Map: Hawk-like Body

Length Range: 33-43 cm (13-17 in)
Weight: 357 g (12.6 oz)
Size: Size 3. Medium (9 - 16 in)
Color: White, Black, Gray
Underparts: Gray
Upperparts: Gray
Back Pattern: Solid
Belly Pattern: Solid
Breast Pattern: Solid

Flight

Topo Map: Hawk-like Flight

Flight Pattern: Buoyant flight with steady wingbeats., Sometimes alternates several wing strokes with short to long glides.
Wingspan Range: 86-94 cm (34-37 in)
Wing Shape: Pointed-Wings
Tail Shape: Notched Tail
Tail Pattern: Solid Black.
Upper Tail: Black
Under Tail: Black
Leg Color: Orange-yellow

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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.

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.

● 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

Hawk-like Head

Hawk-like Body

Hawk-like Flight

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America