La Junta, Colo. —
Mississippi kites are common in southeastern Colorado, despite reports last year contending that Lamar was the western limit of the small raptor's range in the state.
Considered beautiful birds, adults are light grey on the head, body, and inner wings, and darker gray on the tail and outer wings. Males tend to be somewhat lighter than females on their heads and necks. They are extremely graceful in flight and can be seen in the skies above La Junta on most days. They tend to soar in groups rather than as singles.
Mississippi kites are primarily bug-eaters, which they take on the wing. They are a friend to farmers, eating grasshoppers, cicadas, and similar crop-damaging pests. kites will take larger prey, such as smaller birds, with reports of kites taking rabbits as well. This writer recalls watching a kite pluck a small songbird out of mid-air in front of the police department, at roof-top height. The kite streaked in, struck the songbird leaving a puff of feathers, and disappeared into the trees. This behavior seems to be more prevalent later in the nesting season. Conjecture has it that the adults are driven to find larger portions of protein for rapidly growing nestlings. Males and females share in raising the young. Less than half the mated kite pairs will successfully raise their young. The eggs and young are considered delicacies by raccoons, owls, and other predators.
The kite's range has expanded over the last several decades. They now go as far north as the southern New England states, and well into Colorado. It is not uncommon to find them nesting in urban areas. They migrate to southern South America during winter in the northern hemisphere. They are not an endangered species, but the birds, their nests - empty or not - and their eggs and young are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
A reader took this picture of a young Mississippi kite recently. It was on the same branch all day and another brought it food every 15 to 20 minutes, the reader said.
