The Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Mississippi kites have narrow, pointed wings and are graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air.

Mississippi Kites are an inky mix of gray and black, lightening to pale gray-white on the head and in the secondaries of the wings. The wingtips and tail are black. Juveniles are streaky, with brownish chests and underwings, and banded tails.

Pursues bats and flying birds (such as swallows and swifts) in the air. Sometimes catches insects that have been flushed from the grass by herds of grazing animals or by fire. Also scavenges road-killed animals at times (this may account for occasional large rodents or turtles in diet).

The Mississippi Kite is a fairly small raptor species native to the United States. Known for their elegant looks, especially on the flight, they are often seen gliding in a small group through the air in a particular area.

The Mississippi Kite makes a streamlined silhouette as it careens through the sky on the hunt for small prey, or dive-bombs intruders that come too close to its nest tree. These sleek, pearly gray raptors often hunt together and nest colonially in stands of trees, from windbreaks on southern prairies to old-growth bottomlands in the Southeast ...

Mississippi kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) are small birds of prey graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air. Diurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...

Long-winged raptor with narrow, pointed wings that help it maneuver to catch insects in flight. Gray overall with whitish head, white secondaries on upperside of wing, and black tail. Graceful in flight with fluid wingbeats and long glides. Prefers riparian woodlands; occasionally occurs close to humans in suburban areas.

The Mississippi Kite makes a streamlined silhouette as it careens through the sky on the hunt for small prey, or dive-bombs intruders that come too close to its nest tree. These sleek, pearly gray raptors often hunt together and nest colonially in stands of trees, from windbreaks on southern prairies to old-growth bottomlands in the Southeast ...

May 27, 2024 · Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) perched on tree snag with green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis) in its beak. After the completion of the breeding season, the Mississippi kite does travel south toward its Central and South America range for the winter; most of them eventually settle in Brazil and Argentina.

The Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) is a small, elegant bird of prey, with a slender build and an air of grace that is most evident in flight. These birds possess narrow, pointed wings and a buoyant flight style, often giving the impression that they …