Mississippi kites fly with precision
While wistfully watching the sky, I spotted a sleek, pewter-colored flying object moving swiftly and directly, like a military drone.
No drone. Instead, it was a Mississippi kite on a mission, whether to find prey, migrate south, or both. I suspect the bird was nesting in my densely wooded community because I’d noticed it several times this summer.
The kite was probably hunting for such prey as grasshoppers and katydids along the edges of a nearby golf course. Or maybe it was about to barnstorm treetops to snatch cicadas.
Hundreds of Mississippi kites will soon be
flying in neat squadrons over all our neighborhoods. They’ll be on a migratory journey from breeding grounds in the southern Great Plains and the southern tier of the United States as they join up with local breeding birds. Their winter destination will be the tropical and subtropical regions of South America.
The kites’ buoyant flight is propelled by a dark-toned 3-foot wingspan and crooked back like that of a falcon. A narrow, black tail notched at the tip fans out and torques, like an aerial rudder, to guide rapid maneuvers.
With their 17-inch rocketshaped gray bodies and pearlywhite heads, the birds appear powerful yet elegant. A black face mask encircles piercing red eyes. The bird has yellow-red legs.
When flying at treetop level, kites will barely pause as they extend their talons to snatch up tree-dwelling insects. They’ll also glide over meadows, yards and golf courses to grab rodents, toads and snakes. Their snake diet earned them the nickname “blue snake hawk.”
Mississippi kites migrate unhurriedly, sailing over office buildings, homes, sidewalks and walking trails. They’ll sometimes spend several days in local neighborhoods foraging for food.
Come eventide, flocks of the kites will put on an eye-popping show as they spiral down to roost in trees.
The birds were named for the state where naturalists collected the first specimen in 1803. The kite name comes from an Old English word “cyta,” describing the screaming call of hawks — not their fluttering in midair.