MISSISSIPPI KITE GALLERY
(Ictinia  mississippiensis)

eBird describes the Mississippi Kite as follows:  Long-winged raptor with narrow, pointed wings that help it maneuver to catch insects in flight. Gray overall with whitish head, white secondaries on upperside of wing, and black tail. Graceful in flight with fluid wingbeats and long glides. Prefers riparian woodlands; occasionally occurs close to humans in suburban areas. Builds a stick nest in the top of a tree. Winters in South America.

I experienced my first Mississippi Kite along Sim’s Bayou in Houston, Texas, on May 22, 2020.  Hope you enjoy my photos!

Mississippi Kite at Sim's Bayou, Houston, Texas. May 22, 2020.
A little closer look at this beautiful Mississippi Kite. May 22, 2020 at Sim's Bayou, Houston.
One final shot of the Mississippi Kite. I cannot tell a lie-- these birds were not in the wild. I shot these pictures at the Houston Adubon Raptor Education Center at an organized photo opportunity!

A Little more info on the Mississippi Kite from All About Birds…

The Mississippi Kite makes a streamlined silhouette as it careens through the sky on the hunt for small prey, or dive-bombs intruders that come too close to its nest tree. These sleek, pearly gray raptors often hunt together and nest colonially in stands of trees, from windbreaks on southern prairies to old-growth bottomlands in the Southeast (and even on city parks and golf courses). After rearing their chicks they fly all the way to central South America for the winter.