The Nature Library

HomeVolumesBird HomesOpen Nests in Trees, Bushes, and Vines

Mississippi Kite

Adult--Upper parts: Head gray; back slate colour; tail black; under parts gray. Length--14.00.

Breeding Range--From South Carolina, southward; casually from Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Iowa in the interior (A. O. U. check-list).

The nests are built in trees at from twenty to fifty feet from the ground; they are made of dry and green twigs, leaves, and moss, and are rather bulky, the walls being very thick. The eggs, numbering from 2 to 3, are dull white or slightly tinged with green or blue. Size--1.64 x 1.28.

The breeding season probably begins about the end of April or early in May.