

Mississippi Kites breed in the southern and eastern United States and migrate to South America, mainly Argentina, Paraguay, Uraguay, and southern Brazil. Juveniles have heavily streaked brown and white bellies, heavily mottled wings, and long, banded tails. Male and female Mississippi Kites look similar except that males are slightly paler than females. They have long, dark tails and red legs and feet. Their primary wings are dark gray, their secondary wings are white, and wingtips are black.

Their underparts are light gray while their upperparts are dark gray.
MALE MISSISSIPPI KITE CALL PATCH
They have light gray heads, red eyes with a dark eye patch in front, and small, strongly hooked dark bills. Mississippi Kites are small and slender birds of prey. They are spotted here from April to September. Mississippi Kites breed in Mississippi and are recorded in 9% of summer checklists submitted by bird watchers for the state. There are many types of birds of prey that can be spotted in Mississippi, including owls, hawks, eagles, and vultures. In North America, they are found mostly in southern states. Kites can be found worldwide but are more in warmer regions. However, White-tailed Kites are accidental species here.

There are 3 species of kites in Mississippi that have been spotted and they are the Mississippi Kite, Swallow-tailed Kite, and the White-tailed Kite. They spend a lot of time soaring looking for prey, so looking up is a great way to spot them, even on car journeys. Kites are small birds of prey that are known for their amazing ability to fly into the wind and hover, which is known as kiting.
