Mississippi Kite — Photo: Rescuechick · CC BY 3.0

Kites, Old World Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks

Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

LCLeast Concern

Family: Kites, Old World Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks (Accipitridae)
Order: Accipitriformes

Overview

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.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where to see it

Destination guides featuring this bird

Veracruz River of Raptors

Mexico Veracruz River of Raptors Millions of hawks and vultures funnel between mountains and sea each autumn.

JJanuary: Poor or no data
FFebruary: Poor or no data
MMarch: Good
AApril: Good
MMay: Poor or no data
JJune: Poor or no data
JJuly: Poor or no data
AAugust: Poor or no data
SSeptember: Best
OOctober: Best
NNovember: Good
DDecember: Poor or no data

Range and habitat

Breeds southern USA (Arizona to Florida); winters in South America.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Continents

Countries

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.