# Mississippi Kite

*Ictinia mississippiensis*

Unlike many raptors, Mississippi Kites are highly social and often nest in loose colonies, sometimes even sharing the same tree with other pairs.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Accipitriformes › Accipitridae › Ictinia
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Mature riparian forests, oak mottes, and increasingly common in urban parks, golf courses, and suburban neighborhoods with tall trees.
- **Diet:** Primarily large insects like cicadas, dragonflies, and grasshoppers; occasionally hunts small birds, bats, and reptiles.
- **Range:** Central United States, Southeastern United States, South America (Wintering)
- **Size:** Length: 12-15 inches; Wingspan: 30-35 inches; Weight: 215-390 grams.
- **Lifespan:** 8-12 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Pesticide use which reduces insect prey populations and may lead to chemical accumulation; removal of nesting trees in urban areas.
- **Safe to approach?:** Mississippi Kites are generally harmless but fiercely defensive of their nests. During summer, they may dive-bomb humans who get too close to nesting trees. Maintain a safe distance of at least 50 feet. If a kite dives at you, walk away quickly and calmly; they rarely make physical contact but will continue to swoop until you leave their territory.

## About

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. It is not uncommon to see several circling in the same area.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/f5a90e04-a457-47f3-b1e1-b1a67bccc1c5
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/5416
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ictinia mississippiensis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/529744642/medium.jpg (Laura Clark, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.