KITES 12? 



ciating in little groups." He was shown a nest reported to 

 belong to this species at the top of a tall pine.t Avery, writ- 

 ing in 1890, says of it: "Not common. Once abundant. It 

 may breed along the Warrior River [near Greensboro] where 

 now occasionally seen."J At Autaugaville, Golsan has seen 

 the bird but once, about March, 1889. Holt saw one at Bara- 

 chias, May 1, 1909.** A specimen was shot at Hartford, 

 Geneva County, January 26, 1921, and has been preserved 

 in the collection of the Department of Archives and History 

 at Montgomery. *t The only one I ever observed in the State 

 flew over my head in Chuckvee Bay, May 12, 1911. 



General habits. — This handsome kite is easily identified in 

 flight by its long, forked tail and its striking black and white 

 coloration. Its flight is swift, strong, and very graceful; 

 when hunting, the birds fly rather close to the ground, but at 

 other times ascend to great heights. They have the habit of 

 traveling often in small companies of 2 to 10 individuals. 



Food habits. — The swallow-tailed kite is highly beneficial, 

 feeding chiefly on insects and reptiles and never molesting 

 small birds. Dr. Fisher states that it is especially fond of 

 wasp larvae, grasshoppers, and dragon flies and Nehrling 

 says that in Texas frequently it was seen in cotton fields feed- 

 ing on cotton worms. 



Its fondness for snakes has given it in some sections the 

 name of "snake hawk." Audubon mentions having examined 

 a bird in which he found a slender snake 19 inches long, to- 

 gether with six lizards and four large coleopterous insects.* 



MISSISSIPPI KITE: Ictinia misisippiensis (Wilson). 



State records. — Although common in portions of Mississippi 

 and occurring, also, in Georgia, the Mississippi kite seems to 

 be rare in Alabama. Gosse, in 1859, recorded it from Dallas 

 County, stating that it was much less common than the swal- 

 low-tailed kite.f t Golsan reports the bird as a former breeder 

 near Autaugaville. Four or five pairs nested on the borders 



tGosse, P. H., Letters from Alabama, pp. 216-217, 1859. 

 JAvery, W. C, Amer. Field, vol. 34, p. 584, 1890. 

 **Golsan and Holt, Auk, vol. 31, p. 220, 1914. 

 •fBrannon, Peter A., The Auk, vol. 38, p. 464, 1921. 

 •Audubon, J. J., Ornith. Biog., vol. 5, p. 374, 1839. 

 ttGosse, P. H., Letters from Alabama, pp. 217-218, 1859. 



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