![]() There are 3 species of kites in Mississippi that have been spotted and they are the Mississippi Kite, Swallow-tailed Kite, and the White-tailed Kite. They spend a lot of time soaring looking for prey, so looking up is a great way to spot them, even on car journeys. They will only be with us for another month so now is the time to get out and enjoy them before they depart for their long journey to South America.Kites are small birds of prey that are known for their amazing ability to fly into the wind and hover, which is known as kiting. This behavior seems most prevalent in the Great Plains and in fact, we have Mississippi Kites nesting in our neighbor’s yard every year though and we have never witnessed any of this behavior in our area. They can be quite territorial when they are nesting and their colonization of urban-suburban areas over the last 50 years has sometimes resulted in aggressive behavior towards humans. Their range has been expanding over the last 100 years mostly because of reforestation of areas that were deforested in the 1800’s and urbanization which tends to increase their preferred habitat of forested areas with considerable nearby open habitat. Be careful though as we have many talented mockingbirds here that are experts at mimicking the kites. Their call is a high thin whistle that sounds something like “phee phew”. The adults will feed the fledglings for another 15 to 20 days and this is the period when they are most vocal (now!). Incubation lasts about 30 days and the chicks fledge in another 30 days. Both sexes incubate the eggs and feed the nestlings when they hatch. Their nest is built of twigs and they generally lay two eggs. They nest high up in almost any tree species but are usually far from the trunk. This species is already paired when they arrive in our area and they being nest building immediately. I am always sad to see them go because I enjoy them so much during the long hot summer! They usually arrive in our area in late April and depart again in early September. As with other Neotropical migrants we tend to think of these birds as being home when they are here with us but in fact they spend seven or more months of the year in the southern hemisphere. They breed in the southeastern United States and the Great Plains and spend the winter in South America. Mississippi Kites are what is known as a Neotropical migrant. The young birds look quite different as they are more brownish with heavy streaking on their underparts. They are a beautiful bird and if you get the chance to watch them in flight they can keep you entertained for quite a while. They have a pale whitish patch on the rear edge of the inner part of their wings and as with most kites have bright red eyes. Their head is pearly gray and the body is darker gray. They will also eat frogs, toads, lizards, turtles, snakes, bats, and small mammals and birds.Īdult Mississippi Kites are about the same size as a crow but they have long narrow pointed wings. ![]() We are lucky to have these graceful flyers with all summer and I always enjoy seeing them floating high above the trees hunting insects. If you live in Lake Jackson or any of the other towns in our area, chances are you have Mississippi Kites around you house too. This is the time of year when the young birds are fledging and the adults are calling to them often to encourage them to fly on their own. On my early morning walks lately I’ve been hearing the Mississippi Kites a lot.
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