Mississippi Kite Bird

 Identification

The Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) is a member of the family Accipitridae, a group of diurnal birds of prey. Adult Mississippi kites are falcon-shaped with light gray underparts, a dark gray dorsal surface, and a black unbarred tail. They have orange-red legs and feet, with a pale pearly-gray head, red eyes, gray bill, and black wings tipped with a broad white patch on each rear edge that is visible in flight.

Adult kites are about 13 to 14 inches (34 to 36 cm) long, have a wingspan of about 3 feet (0.9 m), and weigh 8 to 11 ounces (227 to 312 g). The male Mississippi Kite bird is lighter gray and smaller than the female. However, immature kites have heavy brown streaks below, and a notched black tail that is somewhat banded on the ventral surface.

The Juvenile kites are covered with a fluffy white down that contrasts with their black eyes and bill. Mississippi kite birds are graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air but not uncommon to see several circling in the same area.

Distribution and Habitat

Mississippi kites’ nest found in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, southeastern Colorado, southern Kansas, and the eastern states from southern Missouri to South Carolina. The southern Great Plains is considered a stronghold for the species. Mississippi kites nest primarily along with riparian areas and in mesquite thickets and tree plantings such as shelterbelts, windbreaks, farm woodlots, urban parks, and urban residential woodlots.

Kites frequently use large windbreaks that are surrounded by native vegetation and have few nearby roads and homes. Shelterbelts planted in native grassland habitats likely have resulted in the westward expansion of the kite’s range. Kites usually perch in the open on bare branches or on television antennas. This bird is one of the United States' most elegant raptors, 6 to 7 pairs in sight of one another in a grove of tall trees.

Migrations – Mississippi Kite birds migrate in the fall to their wintering grounds in central and southern tropical South America. A long-distance migrant, in flocks; every so often seen in very large concentrations in Texas and Mexico. In a 2006 report, more than 10,000 birds migrate at Fuerte Esperanza Argentina. Also, in 2004 nearly 9,8000 individuals fall migrate to Corpus Christi Texas.

Food Habits

Mississippi kites are primarily insectivorous. Their preference for insects that are harmful to crops, such as cicadas and grasshoppers, makes them economically beneficial. Most insects are captured by kites in flight. Kites supplement their diets with lizards, frogs, small turtles, rodents, small rabbits, and occasionally, small birds.

General Biology, Reproduction, and Behavior

Most Mississippi kites probably wintering Argentina and Brazil. They often migrate in groups of 20 to 30, and usually arrive at their nesting sites in mid to late April or early May. Their southward migration generally begins in early September, a few weeks after the young have fledged. Mississippi kites usually start nesting soon after their arrival in spring.

They form pair bonds before arriving at nest sites and display little territorial behavior. Kites either repair old nests or construct new ones. Nests usually are concentrated in colonies. Many nests occur in elm, cottonwood, willow, hackberry, oak, and mesquite trees.

Most nests, except for those constructed in elm and cotton-wood trees, are usually less than 20feet (6 m) above the ground. Nests vary in size, ranging from 10 to 18inches (25 to 46 cm) long and 10 to 14inches (25 to 36 cm) wide. They usually are composed of small twigs and lined with leaves.

In late May or, early June, kites lay two dull white to pale bluish-white eggs about1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) long and almost oval in shape. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the young. They usually lay only 1 clutch per year, which hatches after an incubation period of about 29 to 32 days. The young can fly and leave the nest 28 to 35 days after hatching.

About half the nesting kites successfully raise young. Major mortality factors include strong winds, usually associated with summer thunderstorms, that blow out nestlings and destroy nests, and egg and nestling predators, including great horned owls and raccoons. Mississippi kites produce younger in urban than in rural areas; the greater success has been related to lower predation. These kites usually live about 8 years and prefer to make a nest at deciduous trees.

Damage

Some Mississippi kites create problems by diving at and frightening people who venture near their nests. The diving behavior is initiated to protect the nest and young but occurs at less than 20% of the nests. Diving increases as incubation progresses and is most prevalent after hatching. Often both parents dive and emit shrill cries when the nest is threatened. These alarm calls often attract other kites, which also harass the intruder.

Although kites may swoop within inches of an individual, only 3% of 903dives recorded at one golf course resulted in the birds actually hitting humans. These attacks, however, can be serious if elderly individuals or children riding bicycles are frightened and fall. After the young leave their nests, the diving behavior stops.

Legal Status

Mississippi kites are fully protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (1918) and state regulations. It is illegal to take, possess, transport, sell, or purchase kites or their parts without a permit. These regulations also protect the kite’s eggs and nests, even nests that have been abandoned after the breeding season.

A special permit may be issued by this Fish and Wildlife Service that authorizes the permit holder to take, transport, and temporarily possess juvenile kites for relocation to alternate nest sites and to remove the nest.

Damage Prevention and Control Methods

Exclusion and Habitat Modification - Preventing access of the adult kites to the nesting areas, which should deter subsequent diving, is difficult and not practical in most situations. If the nest can be removed in compliance with the US Fish and Wildlife Service permit, further nesting at that site maybe deterred by removing one of the branches that supported the nest or by fencing out the nest area with hardware cloth.

Nest Avoidance - Avoiding the area around Mississippi kite nests, from incubation through fledging (mid-June through mid-August), is one of the best methods to prevent kites from diving at people. To reduce conflicts at golf courses or parks, people can be encouraged to stay away from a nest by placing yellow-plastic tape that says “Do Not Enter” in a 50-yard (50-m) radius around the nest.

If the nesting area cannot be avoided, wearing a hat should prevent the rare occurrence of a kite strike but will not prevent diving. Place protective netting in the kites’ path of flight to prevent them from diving in certain areas. Frightening People who are attacked by kites should wave their arms or other objects to frighten the offending birds. You may encourage kites to nest elsewhere by placing a life-sized kite effigy in a previously used nest or in a human-made nest before kites arrive in the spring.

The greatest average distance that kites ranged from their nest while performing aggressive behavior was 35 yards (32m) in one study. Decoys should therefore be placed in all potential nest trees within at least 50yards of the area to be protected. Repellents No chemical bird repellents (for example, sticky pastes, sprays) currently registered by EPA have prevented kites from nesting in an area.

Toxicants - No chemical toxicants are currently registered by EPA for Mississippi kite control. However, other kite birds are less aggressive and restrict to the shrill cries of scream. The Mississippi Kite bird normally very frightening to the unsuspecting victim, and normally does not result in any physical harm.

Trapping or Shooting - Trapping or shooting Mississippi kites is seldom warranted. Permits for such activities are required by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the local state wildlife agency. These permits likely will not be granted in most cases.

Nest Removal - Removal of the adult kite’s eggs, young, and nest will typically terminate diving behavior. However, this practice is not legal without a special permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Eggs and young that are removed from an offending kite’s nest habitually are transferred to another kite’s nest located outside the problem area.

Hence, choose to foster kite nests that have eggs or young at the same developmental stage as in the problem nest. Usually, no more than one chick is added to a nest. Furthermore, material may need to be wired to the foster nest to enlarge it. Occasionally, eggs or young may be incubated and/or reared by humans.

Some kites, whose eggs or young have been removed, may re-nest nearby and continue their aggressive behavior. In most instances, the severity of the diving behavior does not warrant removal of the nest, eggs, or young.

Economics of Damage and Control - Few tangible costs can be associated with the harassment of humans by the diving behavior of Mississippi kites. Also, preventing the diving behavior is usually a matter of avoiding the nesting area or frightening the birds when they are diving.

Reference - William F. Andelt Extension Wildlife Specialist Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology Colorado State University-Fort Collins, Colorado 80523

Crested Francolin Afrikaans

The Crested Francolin (Dendroperdix sephaena) distribution extends over most of the savannas of eastern Africa south of the Sahara. In southern Africa, it occurs from northeastern Namibia, across northern and eastern Botswana, into Zimbabwe. Mostly it is found in African countries, Angola, Botswana, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In Zimbabwe, Crested Francolin is largely absent from the northeastern and central regions. It falls outside the major francolin clades, grouping with an assemblage of primarily Indo-Malaysian perdicines. Its closest affinity with the African francolins is with the Coqui Francolin Fcoqui and the red-winged group.

Kirk’s Francolin, considered a subspecies of Crested Francolin, has been accorded specific status in the past. It differs from the nominate race by having a streaked lower abdomen, and replaces the nominate race in the low-lying areas of southern Mozambique from the Save River north-wards, extending through Tanzania to Somalia.

It occurs in pairs when breeding and in family parties of up to seven birds at other times. It is conspicuous and highly vocal, frequently seen along roadsides, and is easily distinguished from other francolins by its bantam-like build, with a cocked tail.

Habitat:

It generally inhabits woodlands with a dense scrub component. It favors areas with bush encroachment in savannas and tolerates poor grass cover. The vegetation analysis clearly shows its preference for woodlands; there is a marked avoidance of Miombo and the semi-arid Central and southern Kalahari. It is commonest in Acacia woodland compared to broadleaved woodland, and found densities of 48 birds / 100 ha in Acacia woodland, and 7.4 birds/100 ha in broadleaved woodland, in a central Transvaal study area.

Densities in northern Botswana were close to 1 bird/10 ha in a variety of Acacia-dominated habitats but differed widely in broadleaved 1 bird/8 ha in secondary broad-leaved riverine woodland, 1 bird/12 ha in Mopane scrub and tall Okavango riparian woodland, 1 bird/150 ha in tall miombo-like and Baikiaea woodlands, and 1 bird/250 ha in tall Mopane woodlands). In Zimbabwe, it is associated with thickets below 800 m, but it occurs up to 900 m in the drier west.

Movements:

There are no previous reports of seasonal movements, which suggest that the seasonal fluctuations in reporting rates, particularly marked in Zone6, are probably due to seasonal variations inconspicuousness.

Breeding:

The crested Francolin egg-laying process in both Zimbabwe and the Transvaal spans October till May, mainly October–March in both regions. The atlas data probably represent mainly sightings of chicks. A trend of earlier and more restricted breeding seasons with increasing latitude is suggested by the models. The breeding record speaks in February–May in Zones 1 and 5 (northeastern Namibia, northern Botswana, and Zimbabwe), December–February in Zone 6 (Transvaal), and November–February in Zone 7 (KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland). It is suggested that the peak breeding months might be as late as March-May in Zimbabwe.

Interspecific relationships:

In the drier savannas of the Transvaal and Zimbabwe, it is often sympatric with Coqui, Shelley’s F. shelleyi, Swainson’s F. swainsonii, and Natal F.natalensis Francolins. However, the Crested Francolin usually favors denser stands of scrub and thicket than Coqui, Shelley’s, and Swainson’s Francolins and drier sites than the Natal Francolin.

Historical Distribution and Conservation:

Although it might fluctuate locally in population size and distribution according to changes in habitat quality, there is no evidence of any long-term extensive distributional changes. The Crested Francolin is apparently not threatened any-where in its range, except locally where the bush is cleared and it as meriting monitoring. Read More - Greater Blue Eared Starling The Gorgeous Mystery Bird

 

The brown rock chat (Oenanthe fusca) or Indian chat,

The brown rock chat (Oenanthe fusca) or Indian chat, is a bird species of the family Muscicapidae. It is found mainly in northern and central India. It is often found on old buildings and rocky areas. It resembles a female Indian robin but lacks the reddish vent and differs in posture and behaviour apart from being larger. In flight it bears some resemblance to thrushes and redstarts. It feeds on insects, captured mainly on the ground. It was formerly placed as the sole species in the genus Cercomela but is now included with the wheatears in the genus Oenanthe. 

Brown Rock Chat at Rohtas Fort Jehlum City

The white wagtail (Motacilla alba)

The white wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in much of Europe and Asia and parts of North Africa. It has a toehold in Alaska as a scarce breeder. It is a resident in the mildest parts of its range but otherwise migrates to Africa. In Ireland and Great Britain, the darker subspecies, the pied wagtail or water wagtail (M. a. yarrellii) predominates. In total, there are between 9 and 11 subspecies. The white wagtail is an insectivorous bird of the open country, often near habitation and water. It prefers bare areas for feeding, where it can see and pursue its prey. In urban areas, it has adapted to foraging on paved areas such as car parks. It nests in crevices in stone walls and similar natural and man-made structures. It is the national bird of Latvia and has featured on the stamps of several countries. Though it is 'of least concern', there are several threats against it, like being kept as pets and being used as food.

The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family (Recurvirostridae). The scientific name H. himantopus was formerly applied to a single, almost cosmopolitan species. It is now normally applied to the form that is widespread in Eurasia and Africa and which was formerly regarded as the nominate subspecies of Himantopus himantopus sensu lato. 

The scientific name Himantopus comes from the Greek meaning "strap foot" or "thong foot". Most sources today accept 2–4 species. It is sometimes called pied stilt, but that name is now reserved for the Australian species, Himantopus leucocephalus. Adults are 33–36 cm (13–14 in) long. They have long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. Males have a black back, often with greenish gloss. Females' backs have a brown hue, contrasting with the black remiges. 

In the populations that have the top of the head normally white at least in winter, females tend to have less black on head and neck all year round, while males often have much black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually get all-white heads in winter. Immature birds are grey instead of black and have a markedly sandy hue on the wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight.

Grey-headed swamphen

Grey-headed swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus) is a species of swamphen occurring from the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent to southern China and northern Thailand. It used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen, but was elevated to full species status in 2015; today the purple swamphen is considered a superspecies and each of its six races are designated full species.

The male has an elaborate courtship display, holding water weeds in his bill and bowing to the female with loud chuckles.

The grey-headed swamphen was introduced to North America in the late 1990s due to avicultural escapes in the Pembroke Pines, Florida area. State wildlife biologists attempted to eradicate the birds, but they have multiplied and can now be found in many areas of southern Florida. Ornithological authorities consider it likely that the swamphen will become an established part of Florida's avifauna. It was added to the American Birding Association checklist in February 2013.

The cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)

The cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard two of its subspecies as full species, the western cattle egret and the eastern cattle egret. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus Egretta, it is more closely related to the herons of Ardea. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world in the last century.

It is a white bird adorned with buff plumes in the breeding season. It nests in colonies, usually near bodies of water and often with other wading birds. The nest is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. Cattle egrets exploit drier and open habitats more than other heron species. Their feeding habitats include seasonally inundated grasslands, pastures, farmlands, wetlands, and rice paddies. They often accompany cattle or other large mammals, catching insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals. Some populations are migratory and others show postbreeding dispersal.

The adult cattle egret has few predators, but birds or mammals may raid its nests, and chicks may be lost to starvation, calcium deficiency, or disturbance from other large birds. This species maintains a special relationship with cattle, which extends to other large grazing mammals; wider human farming is believed to be a major cause of their suddenly expanded range. The cattle egret removes ticks and flies from cattle and consumes them. This benefits both species, but it has been implicated in the spread of tick-borne animal diseases.

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America,is a widespread bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest bird in the world and the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV program, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph). As is typical of bird-eating raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males.

Brown Rockchat !! Oenanthe fusca

The brown rock chat or Indian chat (Oenanthe fusca) is a bird in the chat (Saxicolinae) subfamily and is found mainly in northern and central India. It is often found on old buildings and rocky areas. It resembles a female Indian robin but lacks the reddish vent and differs in posture and behavior apart from being larger. In flight, it bears some resemblance to thrushes and redstarts. It feeds on insects, captured mainly on the ground. It was formerly placed as the sole species in the genus Cercomela but is now included with the wheatears in the genus Oenanthe.

The crested lark (Galerida cristata)

The crested lark (Galerida cristata) is a species of lark distinguished from the other 81 species of lark by the crest of feathers that rise up in territorial or courtship displays and when singing. Common to mainland Europe, the birds can also be found in northern Africa and in parts of western Asia and China. It is a non-migratory bird, but can occasionally be found as a vagrant in Great Britain. The crested lark was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work, Systema Naturae. It was classified in the genus Alauda until German naturalist Friedrich Boie placed it in the new genus Galerida in 1821.

Sandpipers has a Beautiful Voice

Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. Sandpipers have long bodies and legs, and narrow wings. Most species have a narrow bill, but otherwise the form and length are quite variable. Like other sandpipers, the semipalmated sandpiper has relatively long wings, a long neck and a short tail.

Amazing Call of passerine bird

I don't know the name of this bird. Maybe it is some kind of sparrow family. But this bird has an amazing call. 

The Eurasian magpie or common magpie

The Eurasian magpie or common magpie is a resident breeding bird throughout northern part of Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family designated magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic radiation of "monochrome" magpies.

Rufous or Common Nightingale

The common nightingale or simply nightingale, also known as rufous nightingale, is a small passerine bird best known for it's powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. Common nightingales are so named because they frequently sing at night as well as during the day. The name has been used for more then 1,000 years.Nightingales sing even more loudly in urban or near-urban environments, in order to overcome the background noise. The most characteristic feature of the song is a loud whistling crescendo, absent from the song of thrush nightingale. It has a frog-like alarm call.

The Rarest White Bird Albino House Sparrow

One of the world's rarest White Bird is Albino House Sparrow.  Most White Wild Birds seen are leucistic, lacking pigment. They are extremely rare in themselves, but a true albino bird, with pink eyes and white feathers is incredibly rare. Albinos are one of the rarest birds in the world and are distinctive. Unluckily Albino White Bird rarely reaches adulthood. Melanin serves some critical functions in vision and in protecting the eye from UV radiation. Hence, they are easy targets for predators and they can’t see well due to poor eyesight to spot danger and don’t survive long in the wild.

Albinism is a genetic condition which is known to affect around 300 different species of animal. Albinos that are white instead of their normal color are indeed rare. Therefore, about one in 20,000 humans are albinos, and at least 300 species of animals in North America have albino individuals. Miley Bull, the senior director of science and conservation, said the pinkness of the eye marks it as a true albino.

Furthermore, Albinos have the similar characteristics of other members of their species. So, except their cells are unable to produce melanin a dark pigment that results in normal coloration in the skin, scales, eyes or hair. Albinos are rare because the genes for that trait are recessive, while the genes for normal pigmentation are dominant. Albinos caused by a lack of melanin, the chemical which gives cells, and tissues, their coloration.

Without it, everything is colorless and appears as white. It is a recessive condition, meaning an individual needs two recessive alleles to trigger albinism. This is a rarity, as if there is one dominant allele it will overrule the albinism gene and make that individual a carrier of the condition. The leucistic bird is unusual because it is completely white from the top to head to the tip of its tail.

A full or true albino is a very specific mutation with a well-known genetic cause similar across all vertebrates. All of the plumage is white and the skin is unpigmented. Even the eye is unpigmented, and appears pink or red as we see the blood vessels in the retina. RSPB monitoring suggests a serious decline in the United Kingdom house sparrow population.

It is estimated as dropping by 71 per cent between 1977 and 2008 with substantial declines in both rural and urban populations. Adult full albino birds are in effect never seen in the wild. The inability to produce melanin does not affect the red carotenoid pigments, so the red color appears more or less as usual on this bird’s feathers and bill. An albino bird is not necessarily all white!

How to identify an albino Bird?

If the albino bird is alone, use the same elements as above and think of a species that occur in the area that fit those elements.  These clues should give you an idea of which species of bird the albino bird is likely to be. See the birds that associate with the albino bird. Since the bill, eyes, and legs color of the albino bird are pink and pale these cannot be used as a reference. Instead, rely on the shape, size, behavior, and habitat use. Birders rely on plumage as the primary clue for bird identification.