Ictinia mississippiensis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
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.
The Mississippi kite was first named and described by the Scottish ornithologist Alexander Wilson in 1811, in the third volume of his American Ornithology. Wilson gave the kite the Latin binomial name of Falco mississippiensis: Falco means "falcon", while mississippiensis means from the Mississippi River in the United States. The current genus of Ictinia originated with Louis Pierre Vieillot's 1816 Analyse d'une nouvelle Ornithologie Elémentaire. The genus name derives from the Greek iktinos, for "kite". Wilson also gave the Mississippi kite its English-language common name. He had first observed the species in the Mississippi Territory, while the bird's long pointed wings and forked tail suggested that it was a type of kite. It is currently classified in the subfamily Buteoninae, tribe Buteonini.
The Mississippi kite measures about 12 to 15 inches (30 to 37 cm) in length, with a... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 6 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 8 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mote Marine Laboratory | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Carolina Raptor Center | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mississippi Kite sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 2,873 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 57th most-seen of the 302 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Mississippi Kite in Houston on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mississippi Kite sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 15 cities where we can rate Mississippi Kite sightings, Houston has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Austin (United States, about 10%) and Dallas (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Mississippi Kite that you can see in Houston (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Red-shouldered Hawk (about 30%) and Red-tailed Hawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mississippi Kite is recorded against all the birds logged in Houston (2,873 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
