Mississippi kite Ictinia mississippiensis

Identification Tips:

• Length: 12.5 inches Wingspan: 36 inches
• Sexes similar
• Medium-sized, graceful, long-winged hawk
• Pointed wings
• Long, squared-off tail
• Short, dark, hooked beak
• Outermost primary about half the length of the longest primary

Adult:

• Pale gray head with dark mask at lores
• Gray breast, belly, underwing and undertail coverts
• Dark gray back, upperwing coverts, primaries, and uppertail coverts
• Pale silvery-gray secondaries visible from above
• Blackish flight feathers visible from below
• Black tail

Immature:

• Streaked, brownish head with pale superciliary line
• Dark brownish back and upperwing
• Breast, belly, and underwing coverts streaked heavily with rich brown
• Dark tail has distinct white bands

Subadult:

• Head and breast like adult, occasionally with remnants of brown
• Underwing coverts streaked heavily with rich brown
• Dark tail has distinct white bands

Similar species:

Black-shouldered Kite is similar in size and shape but is whitish about the breast and has a white tail. Kites are somewhat similar in shape to falcons but note the different head patterns. At a distance, Norther Harrier can look similar but its underwings are paler and broader and it has a white rump.

Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.