They migrate south to winter in central South America, specifically northern Argentina and southern Paraguay. In recent years, they have been regularly recorded as far north as the Great Lakes region and southern New England (New Hampshire). They nest in the northwestern third of Texas and north central Texas isolated nesting populations are found in eastern Texas. They breed in southern and central North America – from Arizona east to southeastern Colorado, southern Kansas, and southern Missouri south to Florida. Distribution / Habitat Summer / Breeding Range They have an average lifespan of 7 – 8 years. Mississippi Kites are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which makes it illegal to harm, or take into possession, the adults, their eggs or their young, or to tamper with their nests (empty or occupied) without the proper permits. These graceful, long-winged, falcon-like birds have a plumage that is mostly grey with a paler head a black tail, yellow to red legs and red eyes. Notwithstanding their common and Latin names, these birds of prey are more common in the southern Great Plains than in the State of Mississippi. These long-distance migrants travel in flocks south to winter in South America. Mississippi Kites are more successful at producing offspring in their urban habitats because there are fewer predators there than in forests and woodlands.The Mississippi Kites ( Ictinia mississippiensis) are raptors that breed in scattered localities across the southern and central United States. They’re also very protective of their nest and will attack anyone, people and animals alike when they get too close. Mississippi Kites usually nest in colonies and will sometimes accept help with the nest from a one-year-old bird. They both take the time to incubate the eggs for about twenty-nine to thirty-two days. They can build them on their own using twigs, leaves, and moss or they can re-use old, abandoned nests by other birds or even squirrels.īoth adults build the nest together and the female lays one to three eggs in it. They can use tree branches that are a few feet off the ground or even as high as 115 feet up. Nests of Mississippi Kites are built on most types of trees. Sometimes, they hang around bison, horses, deer, and people and snatch whatever insects are flushed out by their activities. They also hunt from their perch in trees and snag snakes, turtles, small birds, lizards, frogs, and fish. They capture medium to large-sized insects like grasshoppers, beetles, cicadas, and dragonflies. Most of the time, Mississippi Kites forage from the air and catch their prey and eat them while in flight. In cityscapes, they’re likely to perch on tall buildings. It is best to keep your sights above the trees for they love to sail on the wind and float in the air. You can find Mississippi Kites in small woodland forests in the prairies, dense old-growth hardwood forests, and more recently, in tree-lined areas like windbreaks, shelterbelts, city parks, golf courses, and other urban areas. Mississippi Kites breed in southern and eastern United States and migrate to South America, mainly Argentina, Paraguay, Uraguay, and southern Brazil. Juveniles have heavily streaked brown and white bellies, heavily mottled wings, and long, banded tails. Male and female Mississippi Kites look similar except that males are slightly paler than females. They have long, dark tails and red legs and feet. Their primary wings are dark gray, secondary wings are white, and wingtips are black. Their underparts are light gray while their upperparts are dark gray. They have light gray heads, red eyes with a dark eye patch in front, and small, strongly hooked dark bills. Mississippi Kites are small and slender birds of prey.
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