![]() Neil Garrison was the longtime naturalist at a central Oklahoma nature center. Seen from above, light secondaries form a bar across the wings. The Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) is a species of bird found in Central and North America. I just wish people would quit painting this urban-dwelling hawk with a fear-mongering word such as "attack." It would be far better to acknowledge it is just a situation whereby a mother bird is doing what she can to make sure no harm befalls her offspring. What's wrong with that? Looking for ID Help Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds. Mississippi Kites usually lay two white eggs in twig nests that rest in a variety of deciduous trees. Adult male: dark gray overall, lighter head with red eyes, dark primaries and tail. What I am attempting to say is this: Not all Mississippi kites are trouble-makers some of them nest in close proximity to people and never cause one iota of a problem. It depends on the personality of the individual birds. Some Mississippi kites fly toward people some don't. ![]() It is indeed unfortunate the Mississippi kite is not more discriminating when it comes to deciding which humans actually pose a legitimate threat to the hawk babies. Far too often, people accidentally venture too close to a hawk nest they do not even realize is there. Some of their distinctive features include: Description and Identification Mississippi Kites are 12-15 inches long, with a wingspan of 3 feet. I find it very commendable this tiny creature intentionally places its safety at risk in order to ensure that no harm comes to its offspring. in many areas where it was formerly scarce many towns on the southern plains now have their own nesting colonies of Mississippi Kites. One such word is "attack." I bristle when I hear this word being used to describe a hawk's behavior when it is merely coming to the defense of its nest when humans venture much too close. ![]()
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