Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderAccipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies)
FamilyAccipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
GenusIctinia (Mississippi and Plumbeous Kites)
SpeciesIctinia mississippiensis (Mississippi Kite)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Ostional Wildlife Refuge

1 Verified sightings at Ostional Wildlife Refuge From 2019 to 2026

1,936 Verified sightings across all 47 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Mississippi Kite

The Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Mississippi kites have narrow, pointed wings and are graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air. It is common to see several circling in the same area.

The Mississippi kite was first named and described by the Scottish ornithologist Alexander Wilson in 1811, in the third volume of his American Ornithology. Wilson gave the kite the Latin binomial name of Falco mississippiensis: Falco means "falcon", while mississippiensis means from the Mississippi River in the United States. The current genus of Ictinia originated with Louis Pierre Vieillot's 1816 Analyse d'une nouvelle Ornithologie Elémentaire. The genus name derives from the Greek iktinos, for "kite". Wilson also gave the Mississippi kite its English-language common name. He had first observed the species in the Mississippi Territory, while the bird's long pointed wings and forked tail suggested that it was a type of kite. It is currently classified in the subfamily Buteoninae, tribe Buteonini.

The Mississippi kite measures about 12 to 15 inches (30 to 37 cm) in length, with a... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Ictinia plumbea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Buteogallus anthracinus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Buteo platypterus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Rupornis magnirostris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Geranospiza caerulescens

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Harpagus bidentatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Buteo brachyurus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Buteo nitidus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Buteogallus urubitinga

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Buteo albonotatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Leptodon cayanensis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Buteo albicaudatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
2	Congaree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
3	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
4	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
5	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
6	Cusuco National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
7	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
8	Chapada dos Guimarães National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
9	El Impenetrable National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	<5%
10	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
11	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
12	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
13	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
14	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
15	Iberá National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	<5%
16	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
17	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
18	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
19	Amacayacu National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
20	Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary	🇧🇿 Belize	<5%
21	Los Nevados National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
22	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
23	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
24	Masaya Volcano National Park	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	Insufficient data
25	Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
26	Tayrona National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
27	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
28	La Tigra National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
29	San Lorenzo Protected Forest	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
30	El Palmar National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	Insufficient data
31	Celaque National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
32	Amboró National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	Insufficient data
33	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
34	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
35	Sierra de la Macarena National Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
36	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
37	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
38	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
39	Tenorio Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
40	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
41	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
42	Farallones de Cali National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
43	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
44	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
45	Iguazú National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	Insufficient data
46	Los Quetzales National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
47	Shenandoah National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data

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Mississippi Kite

About the Mississippi Kite

Recent sightings of Mississippi Kite in Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Closest Relatives at Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Plumbeous Kite

Common Black-Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Roadside Hawk

Crane Hawk

Double-toothed Kite

Short-tailed Hawk

Gray-lined Hawk

Great Black-Hawk

Zone-tailed Hawk

Gray-headed Kite

White-tailed Hawk

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found