Field Guide : Mississippi Kite (Female)
Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.
Most people don’t even know about the loosely-related group of raptors called kites. That’s a shame, as kites are very special birds. The Mississippi kite was one of the first I learned of. It’s a crow-sized killing machine that specializes in snatching crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas, dragonflies, and other large insects right out of the air. Because many of their preferred insect prey are feared by farmers as pests, kites are considered agricultural boons. Mississippi kites are known to patrol livestock pastures, grabbing insects stirred up by the grazing activity. They are opportunistic predators, however, and also prey on amphibians, snakes, small turtles, and rodents. They don’t turn their beak up at roadkill scavenging opportunities, either.
Depending on the light, the head and breast of the Mississippi kite are platinum and silver, and the mantle, wings, and rump are mostly charcoal and slate grey. In many individuals, burnt sienna and redwood highlights show in the primary feathers of the wing. The female Mississippi kite is generally larger than her male counterpart, but their plumage is very similar. Females tend to have slightly darker heads and napes than males and they typically have paler tail feathers. There seems to be enough individual variation, however, that this female color column could equally apply to some males. Sex identification in the field is best established by the birds’ relative size.
Like other kites, the Mississippi kite has narrow, pointed wings and is a graceful, expert flyer that often appears to float in one place, as if suspended. It’s not surprising that kites captivated the imaginations of our ancestors. The ancient Egyptian goddess Isis was said to transform into a kite when she entered the liminal space between life and death. The kite is likewise cast a creature that moves between realms in Tagalog creation myths from the Philippines; in that story, a kite contrives to start a war between the sea and sky so that land may be created.
The Mississippi kite breeds in the central and southern US, and the southern Great Plains are of special importance to them. Yet species monitoring shows their breeding territories expanding north and west, likely due to climate change and agricultural expansion into grasslands. During the winter, the Mississippi kite migrates to subtropical or temperate regions of South America, but surprisingly little is known about their non-breeding movements and behavior. Some ornithologists note that the birds don’t leave the US until the late fall and they show up again in the early spring, so their migration to South America may be more of a meandering round trip rather than a snow bird relocation.
Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).
Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.
Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.
Most people don’t even know about the loosely-related group of raptors called kites. That’s a shame, as kites are very special birds. The Mississippi kite was one of the first I learned of. It’s a crow-sized killing machine that specializes in snatching crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas, dragonflies, and other large insects right out of the air. Because many of their preferred insect prey are feared by farmers as pests, kites are considered agricultural boons. Mississippi kites are known to patrol livestock pastures, grabbing insects stirred up by the grazing activity. They are opportunistic predators, however, and also prey on amphibians, snakes, small turtles, and rodents. They don’t turn their beak up at roadkill scavenging opportunities, either.
Depending on the light, the head and breast of the Mississippi kite are platinum and silver, and the mantle, wings, and rump are mostly charcoal and slate grey. In many individuals, burnt sienna and redwood highlights show in the primary feathers of the wing. The female Mississippi kite is generally larger than her male counterpart, but their plumage is very similar. Females tend to have slightly darker heads and napes than males and they typically have paler tail feathers. There seems to be enough individual variation, however, that this female color column could equally apply to some males. Sex identification in the field is best established by the birds’ relative size.
Like other kites, the Mississippi kite has narrow, pointed wings and is a graceful, expert flyer that often appears to float in one place, as if suspended. It’s not surprising that kites captivated the imaginations of our ancestors. The ancient Egyptian goddess Isis was said to transform into a kite when she entered the liminal space between life and death. The kite is likewise cast a creature that moves between realms in Tagalog creation myths from the Philippines; in that story, a kite contrives to start a war between the sea and sky so that land may be created.
The Mississippi kite breeds in the central and southern US, and the southern Great Plains are of special importance to them. Yet species monitoring shows their breeding territories expanding north and west, likely due to climate change and agricultural expansion into grasslands. During the winter, the Mississippi kite migrates to subtropical or temperate regions of South America, but surprisingly little is known about their non-breeding movements and behavior. Some ornithologists note that the birds don’t leave the US until the late fall and they show up again in the early spring, so their migration to South America may be more of a meandering round trip rather than a snow bird relocation.
Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).
Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.
Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.
Most people don’t even know about the loosely-related group of raptors called kites. That’s a shame, as kites are very special birds. The Mississippi kite was one of the first I learned of. It’s a crow-sized killing machine that specializes in snatching crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas, dragonflies, and other large insects right out of the air. Because many of their preferred insect prey are feared by farmers as pests, kites are considered agricultural boons. Mississippi kites are known to patrol livestock pastures, grabbing insects stirred up by the grazing activity. They are opportunistic predators, however, and also prey on amphibians, snakes, small turtles, and rodents. They don’t turn their beak up at roadkill scavenging opportunities, either.
Depending on the light, the head and breast of the Mississippi kite are platinum and silver, and the mantle, wings, and rump are mostly charcoal and slate grey. In many individuals, burnt sienna and redwood highlights show in the primary feathers of the wing. The female Mississippi kite is generally larger than her male counterpart, but their plumage is very similar. Females tend to have slightly darker heads and napes than males and they typically have paler tail feathers. There seems to be enough individual variation, however, that this female color column could equally apply to some males. Sex identification in the field is best established by the birds’ relative size.
Like other kites, the Mississippi kite has narrow, pointed wings and is a graceful, expert flyer that often appears to float in one place, as if suspended. It’s not surprising that kites captivated the imaginations of our ancestors. The ancient Egyptian goddess Isis was said to transform into a kite when she entered the liminal space between life and death. The kite is likewise cast a creature that moves between realms in Tagalog creation myths from the Philippines; in that story, a kite contrives to start a war between the sea and sky so that land may be created.
The Mississippi kite breeds in the central and southern US, and the southern Great Plains are of special importance to them. Yet species monitoring shows their breeding territories expanding north and west, likely due to climate change and agricultural expansion into grasslands. During the winter, the Mississippi kite migrates to subtropical or temperate regions of South America, but surprisingly little is known about their non-breeding movements and behavior. Some ornithologists note that the birds don’t leave the US until the late fall and they show up again in the early spring, so their migration to South America may be more of a meandering round trip rather than a snow bird relocation.
Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).
Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.