Mississippi Kite

Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

Mississippi Kite in flight, Pinewood Cemetery (Apr 2020)   

Mississippi Kite at Greenfield Lake July (2020)

The Mississippi Kite is a small hawk that occurs in the Carolinas from late April to September and is a breeding resident in the Cape Fear Region. The kite is common to locally abundant in a wide variety of habitats and is one of the most frequently seen birds of prey during the summer months. Kites are primarily aerial hunters that remain airborne for most of the day, similar to swallows and swifts. There are two kite species in the Carolinas with the once-common Swallow-Tailed Kite occuring as a rare breeding reasident in the Cape Fear, although populations may be returning to our area.  

Description 

The Mississippi Kite is a small member of the hawk family that is approximatly the size of a Sharp-Shinned Hawk or a little longer than a Kestral or Merlin. In flight, the Kite has long wings that are held slightly downward, a noticeably long tail and a slender profile. It can be mistaken for a falcon or one of the sparrowhawk species although these birds generally have stiff, direct flight patterns. Adults are greyish brown with a white head. The tail and wing tips are black. While rarely seen from above, the kite has white markings on the top of hits wings when they are spread out. Cornell All About Bird Profile

• Size: L: 33-38cm or 13-15", WS: 76-86cm or 30-34" (between the size of a Merlin and Cooper's Hawk)
• Plumage: Greyish overall with black tail and wingtips, and a whitish head. From above, the inner wings have white markings. 
• Body: Slender and falconlike with long, narrow wings, and a long tail. 
• Flight: Kites glide gracefully in the air for long periods of time while occasionally flapping in short rapid bursts. They may soar in thermals without flapping at all. 

Similar Species 

Sparrowhawks: Other small hawks such as Cooper's Hawks, and Sharp Shinned Hawks have broader wings and a fast, direct flight. Sparrowhawks hunt near the ground 

Falcons: Merlin and Kestrel are smaller with different color patterns and faster wingbeats. Peregrine is larger 

Swallow-Tailed Kite: Larger (almost the size of a Red Tailed Hawk) with a distinctive forked  tail and an all white body.

Calls 

Mississippi Kites are generally silent although adults do occasionally make a sharp whistle call that sounds like "Pewee" or "Krii-cheeer". This call is mostly heard near the nest site or during courtship and sounds like a Eastern Wood Pewee or certain shorebird species. Listen Here 

Notes

Riparian habitats are the preferred habitat of Kites

Season: Generally arrives in late April and remains in Cape Fear Region until September

Range: Occurs mainly in the eastern third of the Carolinas (Coastal Plain) although birds may be seen anywhere in NC or SC as a vagrant.

Habitat: Mississippi Kites can be found in virtually any habitat with open areas and scattered trees, copses, or  wooded borders. In the Wilmington Area, Kites are common in riparian corridors, woodlands, parks, golf courses, residential areas, and farmland with scattered trees or windbreaks. They feed near waterways and manmade ponds as well as fields, marshes or meadows. 

Diet: Kites eat mostly aerial insects although they will consume lizards and small vertebrates caught in treetops or grassy fields.  

Nesting: The Mississippi Kite nests singly or in loose colonies in open woodlands, pinelands, or in the countryside. They commonly breed in suburbs, parkland, urban greenways, and near towns or villages where scattered stands pines or hardwoods are available. The pair builds a simple stick nest near the crown of a pine or hardwood tree and lays 1-3 eggs. During nesting the nesting pair as well as other kites will perch in nearby trees, wires or snags between hunting sessions. The nesting cycle takes most of the summer (May-Aug) and the birds raise one brood per year. In our area, a stand of trees may support two or more nesting pairs. 

Behavior: Kites are almost exclusively aerial hunters and catch most of their prey on the wing. Adults are usually found lazily soaring in thermals or gliding over treetops, meadows, or waterways with occasional bursts of wingbeats. The birds may also perform sharp turns, or aerobatic moves to catch dragonflies and other fast insects.  Kites only land to roost, nest, or preen. All other activities including bathing and drinking are done in flight. These hawks catch their prey in midair with their feet and consume it while flying. On occasion Mississippi Kites may go after reptiles, small rodents, or birds on the ground or in trees. Like other hawks, kites often remain faithful to their nest sites and will choose the same perches for observation and resting. Adults fiercely defend their nests from crows, other birds of prey, and sometimes people or mammals but tolerate other kites. Unmated birds or juveniles may assist breeding females on occasion. 

Status: Mississippi Kites are common in our area and appear to adapt well to agrarian, suburban, and urban landscapes as long as there are suitable prey and nest sites. Their populations are considered to be stable according to the Cornell All About Birds profile. However, threats such as insecticides, and nest predation by Fish Crows and other human-adapted animals, could affect populations. Mississippi Kites appear to do well in fragmented or managed forests and take well to scattered pines, copses or windbreaks, and urban forestry projects. 

Where to Find 

Mississippi Kites can be found virtually anywhere and are most likely to be seen overhead. Most likely these birds already occur in your neighborhood and are common along interstates, country roads, rivers, and over pastures across our area. Greenfield Lake Park has several nesting pairs, while Airlie Gardens, Holly Shelter Game Land, and any urban or suburban park in our area will have them. 

Spotting Tips: The most reliable way to find kites is to simply scan the skies or waterways for soaring raptors, and to look in dead snags or power poles for perched birds. Their infrequent whistle call can also be an indication of their presence and a possible nest, although the call can easily be overlooked as a Wood Pewee, Broad Winged Hawk, or Red Shouldered Hawk. 

In the summertime, the Kite is the only light grey raptor with a white head (the Harrier is a winter resident). With the Sharp Shinned Hawk and Merlin a winter visitor, no other bird of prey is this small with slender wings and a long tail. 

Garden Information 

Kites are most likely to be seen as a flyover although a pair may choose a pine, oak, sweetgum or other large tree as their nest site. These birds are generally unaffected by landscaping in domestic settings although these hawks like foraging over large lawns or meadows in rural estates or over croplands. Trees and minimizing pesticide use are the main ways to help kites in our area. Unlike more familiar birds of prey such as the sparrowhawk family, or falcons, Mississippi Kites hunt visitors to bird tables and a nesting pair will likely deter any hawks, owls, or crows from visiting the area.