Mississippi Kites

My brother Dean told me they have a pair of Mississippi Kites nesting in a tree next to their backyard.  They are rare to occasional in Iowa but becoming more common in that part of Kansas.

Here is a picture from the internet...

 

 

Impressive bird.  Here is a picture from my nephew Jon...(thank you for sharing!)

 

 

From Wikipedia...

 

The Mississippi kite is a small bird of prey. Mississippi kites have narrow, pointed wings and are graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air. It is not uncommon to see several circling in the same area.

Their diet consists mostly of insects which they capture in flight. They eat cicada, grasshoppers, and other crop-damaging insects, making them economically important. They have also been known to eat small vertebrates, including birds, amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals.  Their call is a high-pitched squeak, sounding similar to that of a squeaky toy.