10/5/2023 0 Comments Juvenile mississippi kite![]() ![]() With luck, and if this pair is allowed to achieve a few more successful nests in the coming years, Mississippi Kite sightings may be increasingly common in southern Wisconsin. For this reason, we have waited to post this article until the birds left the nest site. While we recognize how exciting it would have been for birders to get to see a new and rare species in the state, we should all agree that the welfare of the birds and their young in this instance took priority over the chance to view the birds. As such, and given this is the only known pair of Mississippi Kites in the state, the Atlas was obligated not to jeopardize their nesting success by divulging their specific location. Subsequent field investigation by dedicated local atlas volunteers quickly yielded two adult birds, and shortly thereafter the discovery of Wisconsin’s first Mississippi Kite nest, complete with one growing chick.ĮBird map of Mississippi Kite distribution for June and July.Īlthough the birds nested near a major city, disturbance by a concentration of observers remained a concern because reports from our atlasers indicated the birds’ behavior was being influenced by human presence even at moderate distances from the nest. ![]() But then in late July a local resident spotted an adult kite and reported it to Dianne Moller of Hoo’s Woods Raptor Center in Milton, who kindly relayed the information to Atlas staff. Their eyes are red with a black border, and the tail is black. Moments later the male flew to and mounted her. Adult Mississippi Kites have a light gray head and pale gray underparts. Although not much smaller than a peregrine falcon (wingspan nearly 3 feet, length more than a foot), the kite weighs only 10 ounces. Much like the standard call except the quavering of the final note, the call was issued by a female from a limb high in a Slash Pine (Pinus elliotti). Mississippi kites are elegant raptors and excellent aeronauts. With Janesville not far from the state line, a known pair of kites nesting for 7+ years about 30 miles south in Rockford, Illinois, and the species known for its northward post-breeding dispersal patterns, Atlas staff played it safe by not confirming it as a local breeder and hoped the species’ nest-site fidelity would shed greater light on the situation in 2016.Īlas, Rock County atlasers scoured the area in May and June of this year to no avail. 27 foreground recordings and 1 background recordings of Ictinia mississippiensis. The bird was clearly quite young but its feathers were nearly fully-grown and it was unclear how flight-capable it was. The story actually begins a year ago in 2015 when a juvenile Mississippi Kite was found grounded in the same general area and brought to a local rehabilitator for care. Brewer FEATURES The Mississippi kite is 14 to 14 and one-half inches long (bill tip to tail tip. And subadults can have either an adult- or juvenile-like tail. Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) Photos David W. The story actually begins a year ago in 2015 when a juvenile Mississippi Kite was found grounded in the same general area and brought to a local rehabilitator for care. Profile: Mississippi Kites arrive in late May from their winter homes deep in South America. ![]() The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong.Adult Mississippi Kite carrying food. Juveniles have a tail with narrow white bands, very similar to the tail pattern of a Merlin. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may not fully reflect those of the original file. This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it.
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