Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 13.4–14.6 in
34–37 cm - Weight
- 7.5–13.7 oz
214–388 g
Other Names
- Milan du Mississippi (French)
- Milano de Mississippi, Gavilan de Mississippi, Gavilan grisillo, Milano migratorio (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Mississippi Kite often attacks people who venture too close to its nest, especially in urban areas.
- In the Great Plains the Mississippi Kite can be locally abundant, usually nests colonially, and since the mid-1970s has nested abundantly in many urban areas. In the East it is less colonial, less abundant, and still nests primarily in old-growth forest.
Habitat
Open Woodland
Riverine forest, open woodland, and prairies near riparian woodland; regularly in wooded suburbs in some portions of range.
Food
Insects
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–3 eggs
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless and covered in down.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Flycatching
Conservation
Least Concern
Populations declined until mid-1900s, when increases began. Listed as threatened or endangered in some states.
Credits
- Parker, J. W 1999. Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis). In The Birds of North America, No. 402 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.