4/5/2023 0 Comments Mississippi kite bird![]() ![]() Here you can listen to the call of the Mississippi Kite. Mississippi Kite birds supplement their diets with lizards, frogs, small turtles, rodents, small rabbits, and occasionally, small birds. Most insects are captured by kites in flight. May is the month I associate with this kite becoming a common sight in the western two-thirds of Oklahoma. Their preferred foods for insects that are harmful to crops, such as cicadas and grasshoppers, make them economically beneficial. The Mississippi Kite is a nesting bird in Oklahoma, one of the late returners from its wintering grounds to the south. Mississippi kites are primarily insectivorous. Mississippi kites are active during the day and are most often seen on the wing. During migration, they may also gather in mixed flocks containing up to 10,000 birds. They do not maintain territories and prefer to migrate in groups of 20 to 30 birds. Mississippi Kites occasionally come into conflict with people during the nesting season. Kite Bird - Etsy Check out our kite bird selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Mississippi kites are social birds, gathering in roosts in late summer. In this respect, they are very beneficial to man. These Kite birds migrate in the fall to their wintering grounds in central and southern tropical South America. Although Mississippi Kites are known to eat mice, frogs, lizards, and small birds, the majority of their diet is composed of insects, especially grasshoppers. Mississippi kites’ nests are found in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, southeastern Colorado, southern Kansas, and the eastern states from southern Missouri to South Carolina. ![]() The adult birds are falcon-shaped and look more like a falcon than any other of our kites, with light gray underparts, a dark gray dorsal surface, and a black unbarred tail. Therefore often invite other kites to join in for whistling alarm calls. Mississippi kites are most frequently seen in and around sparse woodlands and adjacent open areas. Mississippi kites are slightly smaller than the swallow-tailed kite and can be distinguished by their shorter, squared tails. Mississippi Kite sounds in a bit high pitch while flying or perched to publicize its presence, and uses a little emphatic version, once the predator is nearby. Identifying features include a light gray head, darker gray wings and body, and a long blackish tail. Their quick note is followed by a long one note that trails down in pitch. Like toy kites, these smoky black and gray birds seem to defy gravity, drifting on air currents and scanning for prey. The adult Mississippi Kite sounds is a “pheee-phew” whistle. The Mississippi Kite is an uncommonly graceful and elegant raptor. This is mostly a silent bird, but Mississippi Kite Call is normally a high-pitched two-syllable whistle. ![]() The Mississippi kite ( Ictinia mississippiensis) is a member of the family Accipitridae, a group of diurnal birds of prey. ![]()
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