All birds/Accipitridae/Mississippi Kite
AI reconstruction of Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis)AI

AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy

Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis)
Verified source photographLaura ClarkCC-BY · View source
PRB-0216Accipitriformes

Mississippi Kite

Elanio de Misisipí

Ictinia mississippiensis

Accidental / vagrantIUCN LC · Least Concern

The Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Mississippi kites have narrow, pointed wings and are graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air. It is common to see several circling in the same area.

FamilyAccipitridaeHawks, Eagles, and Kites
Puerto Rico occurrenceAccidental / vagrantAvibase inferred core 380
Primary habitatforestsWoodland
Primary dietInvertebrateInvertivore
Average mass276 gGlobal trait estimate
MovementMigratoryGeneralist

Sound archive

Hear its voice

Explore real songs and calls. The spectrogram turns each sound into a visual trace of time and frequency.

XC669899Recording 1 of 3call, flight call
Spectrogram of Mississippi Kite: call, flight call
SpectrogramIctinia mississippiensis

Play: call, flight call by Russ Wigh

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Sound recorded by Russ Wigh · XC669899 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the Mississippi Kite

The Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Mississippi kites have narrow, pointed wings and are graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air. It is common to see several circling in the same area.

Conservation

Least Concern

IUCN LC

Global IUCN
LC
Puerto Rico DNER
No current listing in source crosswalk
Federal ESA
No current listing in source crosswalk
Critical habitat
Not identified in source crosswalk

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat
forests
Elevation
0–600 m
Nest
Half cup / shallow · Tree
Clutch
2–2 eggs
Social behavior
Colonial; Social / flocking

Keep exploring

This bird belongs to 6 paths through the atlas.

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading