Skip to content
Henry Sowell

Vol. I · Est. 2026

Pl. CLVI
Field-journal plate: Mississippi Kite
The Mississippi Kite plate as rendered on the e-ink frame
As rendered on the frame

The Birds · Plate CLVI

Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

Accipitridae · Taxon 5416

LengthMales: 34–36 cm; females: 34.5–37 cm
WingspanAdults: 75–83 cm (average 79 cm)
WeightMales: 214–304 g; females: 270–388 g

Field marks

  1. Slender, small raptor with long, narrow, pointed wings
  2. Pale gray head and underparts contrasting with a dark slate-gray back and upperwings
  3. Black wingtips and a long, mostly square-tipped black tail
  4. Red eye set in a blackish eye patch
  5. Small, delicate, strongly hooked dark bill
  6. Yellow to reddish-orange legs and feet

HabitatMature bottomland and riparian forest, open woodland and savanna, shelterbelts, parks, and other tree-lined areas adjoining open pasture, prairie, farmland, or water.

BehaviorA buoyant, agile aerialist that soars and catches mostly large insects on the wing, often eating in flight; it frequently hunts, roosts, and migrates in groups.

Palette

pale grayslate grayblackredyellow-orange