![]() ![]() Their southward migration generally begins in early September, a few weeks after the young have fledged. They often migrate in groups of 20 to 30, and usually arrive at their nesting sites in mid- to late April or early May. They have an average lifespan of 8 years. Most Mississippi kites probably winter in Argentina and Brazil. Here I reported two observations of scavenging by Mississippi Kites in the urban setting of Lubbock, TX, USA. Florida currently has the largest population of breeding Swallow-tailed Kites. scavenging by Mississippi Kites has not been described the only published reference to the behavior that I have found is the statement that they ‘‘Will scavenge diverse roadkills (JWP)’’ (Parker 2020). Because of the reduced amount of predators in urban areas, Mississippi kites produce more offspring in urban areas than rural areas. They also use the wind to hover in place, which is a behavior known as kiting. Mississippi Kites usually lay two white eggs in twig nests that rest in a variety of deciduous trees. Clutches fall victim to storms and predators such as raccoons and great horned owls. Only about half of kites successfully raise their young. The young birds leave the nest another 30 to 35 days after hatching. in many areas where it was formerly scarce many towns on the southern plains now have their own nesting colonies of Mississippi Kites. ![]() They have one clutch a year which takes 30 to 32 days to hatch. Mississippi kites nest in colonies and both parents incubate the eggs and care for the young. Probably because they are aggressive to perceived threats to their nests, they sometimes pose a problem for management and education in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas. In the past 75 years, they have undergone changes in nesting habitat from use of forest and savanna to include shelterbelts and are now very common nesters in urban area that are highly populated in the western south-central states. Mississippi kites usually lay two white eggs in twig nests that rest in a variety of deciduous trees. Compared to random conditions, kites selected nest sites with high tree density and more closed canopy in the surrounding area. 91 cm inch Mississippi kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) are small birds of prey graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air. They migrate to southern subtropical South America in the winter. Breeding territory has expanded in recent years and Mississippi kites have been regularly recorded in the southern New England states and a pair has successfully raised young as far north as Newmarket, New Hampshire. Mississippi kites breed across the central and southern United States. ![]()
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