ictinia (kite) mississippiensis (of Mississippi)
Wednesday, May 4, 1983 — 3:00 pm
Little Rock, Arkansas — Boyle Park
I watched the Mississippi Kites for 15 minutes, and I have no doubt of their identity, but I have no idea what they look like. They were soaring and circling high above the wooded valley. They rarely flapped their wings but occasionally folded them part way. I noticed their feet dangling below their bodies a few times.
They were trim gray birds with dark, narrow, pointed wings and dark, narrow tails. Their heads were pale, and a pale area was visible on the trailing edge of the upper wing when they banked to turn. I only saw them from underneath and didn’t get a very good feel for the bird.