Pratt, Kan. —
For at least a month or so now, walkers, runners, and cyclists have been facing a certain stretch of road on School Street between Main and Stout Streets with some trepidation.
A Mississippi Kite residing in this area has been routinely swooping down upon unsuspecting passersby. If you’re lucky, the bird will not graze your head as happened to Pratt cyclist Dan McAnarney recently.
“One evening I was heading down the hill on School Street when this bird swooped out of nowhere and grazed my scalp with its talons. So, I turned around and saw the bird up on the power line and rode back by to see if it would do the same thing, which it did. This time I ducked,” said McAnarney.
McAnarney decided to mount a webcam to his bicycle’s handlebars and was able to capture footage of the Mississippi Kite attacking him as he made another run down School Street later that same evening. To view the video, visit
MississippiKiteAttack.wmvDan McAnarney is not the only one being harassed by Mississippi Kites this summer. City of Pratt Parks Department employee Alan Jackson was attacked twice in early August while on the job near the city shop on Haskell Street. He was riding a lawn mower at the time.
“I felt him kind of fluff my hair the first time. Then, a few seconds later, he hit me right in the head. The next day he bopped me in the head again,” said Jackson.
Is this Mississippi Kite attacking Pratt residents more likely a male or female?
Bob Broyles, who teaches biology at Butler County Community College, said that “both sexes are just as likely to attack.”
Broyles added that this species of birds attack both alone and in flocks of 20 or more. “It also has a lot to do with eye contact,” Broyles added. “I have found that if I face the nest and the attacker, the assault is usually abbreviated or non-existent. But, if you turn your back you can almost ‘feel’ them launch their attack. Try wearing a hat with big eyes on the back and see if that prevents an attack – seriously.”
This reporter has had numerous encounters with the Mississippi Kite on School Street over the past month and a half while bicycling to work. Following one attack, I looked up to see a woman who had stopped in her tracks to witness the entire scene. “He got me twice,” she said as I pedaled by.
Another time, I stopped to talk to a young, redheaded boy headed west down the hill on School Street.
“Has that bird been bothering you?” I asked.
“Is he down there now?” the boy asked with eyes wide.
“No,” I replied.
“Is he on Pine Street? I’m going to Pine Street,” the youngster asked, a little timidly.
I tried to reassure him that I had not spotted the bird and that it was probably safe to walk on down the hill.
In hopes of finding a solution for the Mississippi Kite problem, I called up the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks recently and inquired about what, if anything, could be done. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks employee Earline Rathbun answered the telephone
“They are a protected species, you know. There’s not much we can do,” she said.
Rathbun said that the birds will likely be migrating within the next month or two and thus will the problem be solved. She added that her son-in-law, Steven Rice, has also been pestered by this same bird while cycling to work along School Street.
So, as you walk, run, cycle, or perhaps even steer your lawn mower and feel a rush of air whizzing toward you, don’t duck. That will only encourage bad Mississippi Kite behavior.
Face the bird, if you dare, or consider instead purchasing a ball cap with a large pair of eyes on the back.
Fall is only a month away, and it won’t be long, hopefully, before the streets of Pratt are safe once again.
