Species

Mississippi kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

A graceful grey kite that catches dragonflies and cicadas in the air, often above southern towns in summer.

Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 31 to 37 cm long; wingspan about 90 cm
Weight: About 215 to 400 g
Habitat: Woodland edges, river bottoms, towns and parks
Diet: Large flying insects such as cicadas, dragonflies and grasshoppers
In Georgia: A summer resident, April to September, especially in the south and along rivers
Voice: A thin, whistled "pee-tee"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Grey with a paler head; black tail; long, pointed wings; buoyant flight
Told apart from: Swallow-tailed kite, which is black and white with a forked tail
Told apart from: Peregrine falcon, which is heavier with a moustache mark
Where to look: Circling high over towns, fields and rivers in summer

Behaviour

Mississippi kites catch insects in flight with their feet and eat them on the wing. They often nest in towns and parks and gather in groups to hunt.

Why they matter

Mississippi kites eat vast numbers of cicadas, dragonflies and grasshoppers. Their graceful flight above summer towns is a sign of a healthy insect population.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A small platform of sticks in a tree
Eggs — Usually two
Incubation — About 30 to 32 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about five weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over ten years are recorded

Living around people

Kites nesting in towns may swoop at people near the nest; giving the area a wide berth for a few weeks ends it.

Misconceptions

A hawk circling over town is hunting pets. Mississippi kites eat insects.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	In South America	In South America	In South America	Arriving	Nesting	Nesting	Chicks	Young flying	Leaving	In South America	In South America	In South America

Where it lives

Recorded in 34 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Mexico

If you found one

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