62 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



two center tail-feathers, a lighter ash than black ; a spot 

 in front of eye formed by bristly feathers and extend- 

 ing narrowly above the eye, and a large patch on the 

 shoulder embracing lesser and middle wing-coverts, 

 deep black: bill and claws, black; cere and feet, yellow- 

 ish-orange; iris, deep carmine. Young: Crown, nape, 

 and upper parts generally thickly marked with broad 

 streaks of dusky brown tinged with rufous; shoulders, 

 umber-brown tipped with rusty ; all wing-feathers, 

 narrowly tipped with white; tail-feathers with a bar of 

 dark ashy, near the tip ; below, tinged with rusty and 

 pale yellow-brown with elongated wedge-shaped spots 

 of umber and blackish. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : In the tops of trees, pref- 

 erably live oaks; made of small twigs and larger sticks 

 and lined with grass. Eggs: 3 to 5, dull whitish, so 

 heavily marked over entire surface with blotches of 

 red and mahogany-brown as usually to obscure the 

 ground color. 



Distribution. — North and South America ; breeds in 

 California, Te.xas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and 

 Florida; casual in southern Illinois, Louisiana, Missis- 

 sippi, and Alabama; winters in California and Florida 

 and south rarely to Guatemala ; resident in South 

 America from Argentina and Chile to Venezuela ; 

 accidental in Michigan. 



All the Kites are birds of marked individuality 

 and their identification in Hfe is not difficult. 

 The white square tail and black shoulders of 

 the White-tailed Kite are quite distinctive field 

 marks. Its favorite haunts are along the borders 

 of streams and marshes, where it frequently 



a plummet. Unlike the Swallow-tailed Kite, this 

 species does not confine its food to insects and 

 reptiles but preys sometimes on small birds and 

 frequently on quadrupeds, especially field mice. 

 Chipmunks, lizards, snakes, and grasshoppers 

 are found on its menu. 



Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



WHITE-TAILED KITE (i nat. size) 

 A fine flyer and a beautiful bird of the South and West 



perches on some tree overlooking its hunting 

 grounds. 



Its method of hunting is not unlike that of the 

 Marsh Hawk — crossing over the fields or hover- 

 ing almost stationary aloft like a .Sparrow Hawk 

 when it sees its game and dropping upon it like 



These birds are less likely to desert disturbed 

 nests than the Swallow-tailed Kites. They utter 

 plaintive calls of anxiety while their home 

 and its neighborhood are under investigation. 

 The nest is placed on a tree, usually near the 

 water. K. I. Brasher. 



MISSISSIPPI KITE 

 Ictinia mississippiensis ( IVilson) 



A. O. U. Number 329 



Other Name.— Blue Kite. 



Description. — Length, 14 inches. Plumage, bluish- 

 gray. Two outer primaries notched on inner web, 

 next two with edge cut away but less abruptly ; wings 

 and tail, moderate in length ; feet, short and stout ; 



tarsus, scantily covered with feathers about half-way 

 down in front ; web partially connecting middle and 

 outer toes ; claws, stout and much curved ; bill, small 

 and sturdy ; its upper cutting edge almost toothed. 

 Color. — Adults : Front of head, pure silvery white 



