Birds
Mississippi Kite
Ictinia mississippiensis · also called Mississippi kites
High above an open grassland, a Mississippi kite snatches a cicada out of the air and eats it on the spot, never once breaking its graceful, buoyant flight to land.
Overview
The Mississippi kite, Ictinia mississippiensis, is a graceful bird of prey native to open woodland, grassland edges, and increasingly urban areas across a range of the southern and central United States, wintering in South America. Its remarkable ability to catch and eat large flying insects entirely on the wing, aggressive colonial nest defence, and successful expansion into urban habitat make it one of the more agile and adaptable raptors found across the continent.
A predator that rarely needs to land
Between catching cicadas and dragonflies directly out of the air and eating them without stopping, the Mississippi kite has turned aerial hunting into something close to a full-time lifestyle, spending remarkably little time on the ground at all.
Status
Least Concern and increasing, having successfully expanded into urban and suburban habitat in parts of its range.
Mississippi Kite: common questions
How does the Mississippi kite catch and eat its food?
This species frequently catches large flying insects such as cicadas and dragonflies directly in the air and often eats them entirely while still flying, rarely needing to land between catching one meal and pursuing the next, a level of aerial feeding skill unusual even among other agile flying predators.
Why do Mississippi kites sometimes swoop at people?
This species defends its nest aggressively against intruders, including swooping at people who venture too close, a defensive behaviour that has led to occasional conflict in urban areas where the species has begun nesting in trees along city streets and parks near where people regularly walk.
Is the Mississippi kite becoming more common in cities?
Yes, this species has expanded into urban and suburban habitat in parts of its range, nesting in trees along city streets and parks in addition to its more traditional open woodland and grassland edge habitat, a successful adaptation that has helped the species' overall population increase.
Where does the Mississippi kite spend the winter?
This species winters in South America, having completed a long migration from its breeding range across the southern and central United States, a seasonal journey shared broadly with several other North American raptor species that winter in South America.