They are brooded almost constantly by both the father and the mother for the first four days, while they bring food and feed them for at least six more weeks. The juveniles are streaky, having a brownish chest and underwings, along with a banded tail. The hatchlings are born naked (featherless) and blind, completely dependent on their parents for food. Both the parents incubate the eggs inside the nest for 29 to 32 (average 30) days. The female Mississippi kite lays 1 to 3 eggs (average 2) at a time and starts incubating them the moment the first egg is laid. Mississippi Kite Baby Life Cycle of the Juvenile Mississippi Kites The nest is usually flat and heavy, and is made of plant materials like sticks, small twigs, etc., and has an inner lining of Spanish moss. The nest is generally built at the treetop, which is anything between 3 and 30 meters above the ground surface. After arriving at the breeding spot, it takes around five to seven days for them to be ready to build their nest, or else, renovate an old one. The breeding season of the Mississippi kites is between May and July. The birds, however, are caring towards their partners and would protect them from enemies and competitors. They do not display any courtship ritual. A couple arrives at their chosen breeding grounds after forming pairs, or else, immediately after arriving. These birds are monogamous in nature and breed only once in a year. Their diet list includes cicada, grasshoppers, dragonflies, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small mammals. These kites are primarily insectivorous, but would also consume small vertebrates. Mississippi Kite Hawk Diet: What Do Mississippi Kite Birds Eat You can listen to the call of the bird here. The Mississippi kites can communicate with each other using two individual whistle calls, with one call being a two-syllabled phee phew, and the other one being a phee-ti-ti. In around August, before beginning migration, they begin to gain weight and quit their breeding grounds by September. These birds are able to use their feet to eat, both at a time, by tearing the prey into pieces. Unlike other raptors or birds of prey (like hawks), these kites do not exhibit circling behavior while on the flight, but instead, they move in a straight line and rarely perch to eat. They have a smooth flight pattern however, they frequently change directions and elevations while flying. They are mostly seen flying, and while foraging, they attack the prey from the top. These are highly social birds that always act in groups, including foraging, roosting, and migration. The terrestrial biomes of the Mississippi kites are savanna or grassland forests of the temperate or tropical regions, southern prairies with tree-lined areas like shelterbelts, urban areas, windbreaks, and parks. Carolina. Currently, no regional subspecies of this bird has been described.

However, during the breeding season, they migrate to Arizona and the southern Great Plains, south to the Gulf Coast and east to the states of N. The most significant numbers of these kites are found in the central states of Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Their maximum lifespan range in the wild is 11 years. Sexual Dimorphism: Both the sexes are practically similar, with an average female being slightly larger than an average male. The root of the beaks has a large orange mark.įeet: The feet strong claws and are orange in color. Tail: The tail is considerably long, and the tip is somewhat square-shaped.īeaks: The bills are strongly hooked, but are small and delicate. Wings: The wings are long, narrow and pointed, with a wingspan average of about 3 feet (91 cm).

Juvenile mississippi kite