![]() Only 10 of the records were of active nests with eggs or young. SEASONAL OCCURRENCE: The Mississippi Kite proved to be a fairly easy species to confirm with a 33% confirmation rate among the 310 records obtained by the TBBAP. Most TBBAP records away from the areas discussed above were listed as possible and, in all likelihood, did not represent breeding individuals. Away from these areas it has to be considered a rare, local bird in Texas. Both Oberholser (1974) and the TBBAP registered one breeding record in the vicinity of El Paso (31106), far to the west of any other records in the state. Otherwise its overall distribution is similar to that reported by Oberholser (1974) except for the fact that he listed scattered summer reports along the middle Rio Grande, where TBBAP volunteers were unable to find the bird. There was even one confirmed record in the extreme northeast of the state at latilong 33094, where Oberholser (1974) did not report any breeding. Away from this area, there were several records (including a number of confirmed reports) in the southeast, centered around Matagorda County (28095), and scattered records throughout the northeast. It is fairly common in this area and it was confirmed as a breeder regularly in the Panhandle. When cicadas are abundant (as they were in the vicinity of Lubbock in 1991) they make up the bulk of the diet (Bolen & Flores 1993).ĭISTRIBUTION: In Texas the Mississippi Kite is mainly restricted to the north-central portion of the state during the breeding season. It feeds extensively on large insects including grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, and dragonflies (Oberholser 1974) but will also eat bats, lizards, and mice (Bent 1937, Ehrlich 1988, Glinski & Ohmart 1983). The Mississippi Kite is prone to wandering with individuals regularly turning up in such widely scattered locations as South Dakota (Berkey 1987) and Massachusetts (Mactavish 1987). However, Oberholser (1974) listed five scattered records of individuals wintering in southern Texas. During migration this kite undertakes a long migration as it spends the winter months in South America. It reaches its maximum abundance in the central states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana (Price et al. It breeds across the southern states from Florida as far west as Arizona and New Mexico (A.O.U. ![]() She had been banded in the same state in 1974.The Mississippi Kite is a fairly common breeding raptor throughout its somewhat restricted range. The oldest-known Red-shouldered hawk was a female, and at least 25 years, 10 months old when she was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in California in 2000.The form in very southern Florida is the palest, having a gray head and very faint barring on the chest. The four eastern forms contact each other, but the West Coast form is separated from the eastern forms by 1600 km (1000 mi). The Red-shouldered Hawk is divided into five subspecies.Bird poop on the ground is a sign of an active nest. By the time they are five days old, nestling Red-shouldered Hawks can shoot their feces over the edge of their nest. ![]() One Red-shouldered Hawk occupied a territory in southern California for 16 consecutive years. ![]() Red-shouldered Hawks return to the same nesting territory year after year.While a Red-shouldered Hawk was observed chasing a Great Horned Owl, its mate took a young owl out of its nest and ate it. The Great Horned Owl often takes nestling Red-shouldered Hawks, but the hawk occasionally turns the tables.They may also both attack a Great Horned Owl and join forces to chase the owl out of the hawk's territory. They may chase each other and try to steal food from each other. Although the American Crow often mobs the Red-shouldered Hawk, sometimes the relationship is not so one-sided.
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