This sleek, acrobatic, crow-sized raptor breeds in the central and southern Great Plains, limited areas of the Southwest, and southern states along the Mississippi River and east of it. In the Great Plains it can be locally abundant, usually nests colonially, and since the mid-1970s has nested abundantly in many urban areas. In the east it is less colonial, less abundant, and still nests primarily in old-growth forest. It can be conspicuous or almost undetectable, depending on censusing methods and weather.

This kite is often described as an insect eater, taking only occasional frogs or lizards. Vertebrates, however, including small birds and mammals, are more frequent and important prey than commonly thought, at least for some individuals and populations. Individuals perch and hunt from exposed sites, but also on the wing, making this a conspicuous soaring raptor, either singly or in flocks. Foraging flocks of more than 25 are not unusual at any time of the year.

A sometimes gregarious woodland nester, the Mississippi Kite uses a wide variety of habitat throughout its breeding range. In the Great Plains it is often abundant in areas with numerous mature shelterbelts (windbreaks) and in urban areas. Roosting groups, often with 10 or more individuals, are frequently near one or more nests. Urban nests and roosts are often in city parks, residential areas, and also golf courses.

Although appearing falconlike in high-speed flight and strong winds, the Mississippi Kite can soar persistently with spread primaries and rectrices, thus altering its appearance considerably. Gray-and-black plumage usually distinguishes an adult from similar raptors and other species; juveniles and yearlings pose identification challenges.

Despite a normal clutch of only 2 eggs, numbers of this species have increased in the western U.S. as a result of postsettlement habitat changes caused by humans. Kites often attack people that venture too close to their nests, mainly in urban areas, and this has created many public relations, management, and educational challenges in at least 5 western U.S. states.

Studies of the Mississippi Kite are not numerous, but those since 1968, including partly or wholly unpublished master's theses and a doctoral dissertation ( Parker, J. W. 1974b. The breeding biology of the Mississippi Kite in the Great Plains. Phd Thesis, Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence. Close Parker 1974b, Evans, S. A. 1981b. Ecology and behavior of the Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississipensis) in southern Illinois. Master's Thesis, Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale. Close Evans 1981b, Shaw, D. M. 1985. The breeding biology of urban-nesting Mississippiensis kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) in west central Texas. Master's Thesis, Angelo State Univ., San Angelo. Close Shaw 1985), have corrected misunderstandings of clutch size, prey taken, nesting habitat, and abundance. These studies emphasized the species' large Great Plains population, but also involved smaller local populations in the Mississippi River valley and the recently colonized southwestern United States. Consequently, there is considerable documentation of reproductive success (Parker Parker, J. W. 1974b. The breeding biology of the Mississippi Kite in the Great Plains. Phd Thesis, Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence. Close Parker 1974b, Parker, J. W. 1975. "Populations of the Mississippi Kite in the Great Plains." In Population status of raptors., edited by J. R. Murphy and et al, 159-172. part 5: Proceedings of the conference on raptor conservation techniques. Close Parker 1975, Parker, J. W. 1996. "Urban Ecology of the Mississippi Kite." In Raptors in human landscapes., edited by D. Bird, D. Varland and J. Negro, 45-52. New York: Academic Press. Close Parker 1996, Evans, S. A. 1981b. Ecology and behavior of the Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississipensis) in southern Illinois. Master's Thesis, Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale. Close Evans 1981b, Glinski, R. L. and R. D. Ohmart. 1983. Breeding ecology of the Mississippi Kite in Arizona. Condor no. 85:200-207. Close Glinski and Ohmart 1983, Shaw, D. M. 1985. The breeding biology of urban-nesting Mississippiensis kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) in west central Texas. Master's Thesis, Angelo State Univ., San Angelo. Close Shaw 1985, Gennaro, A. L. 1988a. "Breeding biology of an urban population of Mississippi Kites in New Mexico." In Proceedings of the Southwest Raptor Management Symposium and Workshop., edited by R. L. Glinski and et al, 188-190. Washington, D.C: Natl. Wildl. Fed. Close Gennaro 1988a, Barber, J. D., E. P. Wiggers and R. B. Renken. 1998b. Nest-site characteristics and reproductive success of Mississippi Kites in the Mississippi River floodplains. J. Wildl. Manage. no. 62:1373-1378. Close Barber et al. 1998b), mortality factors (including the impact of pesticides) and other demographic factors ( Fitch, H. S. 1963. Observations on the Mississippi Kite in southwestern Kansas. Univ. Kans. Mus. Nat. Hist. Misc. Publ. no. 12:503-519. Close Fitch 1963, Parker Parker, J. W. 1974b. The breeding biology of the Mississippi Kite in the Great Plains. Phd Thesis, Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence. Close Parker 1974b, Parker, J. W. 1988a. "Mississippi Kite." In Handbook of North American birds, edited by R. S. Palmer, 166-186. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press. Close Parker 1988a, Parker, J. W. 1996. "Urban Ecology of the Mississippi Kite." In Raptors in human landscapes., edited by D. Bird, D. Varland and J. Negro, 45-52. New York: Academic Press. Close Parker 1996, Evans, S. A. 1981b. Ecology and behavior of the Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississipensis) in southern Illinois. Master's Thesis, Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale. Close Evans 1981b, Glinski, R. L. and R. D. Ohmart. 1983. Breeding ecology of the Mississippi Kite in Arizona. Condor no. 85:200-207. Close Glinski and Ohmart 1983, Shaw, D. M. 1985. The breeding biology of urban-nesting Mississippiensis kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) in west central Texas. Master's Thesis, Angelo State Univ., San Angelo. Close Shaw 1985, Gennaro, A. L. 1988a. "Breeding biology of an urban population of Mississippi Kites in New Mexico." In Proceedings of the Southwest Raptor Management Symposium and Workshop., edited by R. L. Glinski and et al, 188-190. Washington, D.C: Natl. Wildl. Fed. Close Gennaro 1988a, Franson, J. C. 1994. Parathion poisoning of Mississippi Kites in Oklahoma. J. Raptor Res. no. 28:108-109. Close Franson 1994), nesting and foraging behavior ( Sutton, G. M. 1939. The Mississippi Kite in spring. Condor no. 41:41-53. Close Sutton 1939, Skinner, R. W. 1962. Feeding habits of the Mississippi Kite. Auk no. 79:273-274. Close Skinner 1962, Fitch, H. S. 1963. Observations on the Mississippi Kite in southwestern Kansas. Univ. Kans. Mus. Nat. Hist. Misc. Publ. no. 12:503-519. Close Fitch 1963, Parker Parker, J. W. 1974b. The breeding biology of the Mississippi Kite in the Great Plains. Phd Thesis, Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence. Close Parker 1974b, Parker, J. W. 1988a. "Mississippi Kite." In Handbook of North American birds, edited by R. S. Palmer, 166-186. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press. Close Parker 1988a, Evans, S. A. 1981b. Ecology and behavior of the Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississipensis) in southern Illinois. Master's Thesis, Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale. Close Evans 1981b, Glinski, R. L. and R. D. Ohmart. 1983. Breeding ecology of the Mississippi Kite in Arizona. Condor no. 85:200-207. Close Glinski and Ohmart 1983, Davis, S. E. 1989b. Migration of the Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis in Boliva, with comments on I. plumbea. Bull. Br. Ornithol. Club no. 109:149-152. Close Davis 1989b, Botelho, E. S., A. L. Gennaro and P. C. Arrowood. 1993. Parental care, nestling behaviors and nestling interactions in a Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) nest. J. Raptor Res. no. 27:16-20. Close Botelho et al. 1993, Wischusen, E. W. 1998. Rates of open-field foraging by the Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippensis). Raptor Research no. 32:246-247. Close Wischusen 1998), and changes in population size and distribution ( Parker, J. W. and J. C. Ogden. 1979. The recent history and status of the Mississippi Kite. Am. Birds no. 33:119-129. Close Parker and Ogden 1979, Parker Parker, J. W. 1975. "Populations of the Mississippi Kite in the Great Plains." In Population status of raptors., edited by J. R. Murphy and et al, 159-172. part 5: Proceedings of the conference on raptor conservation techniques. Close Parker 1975, Parker, J. W. 1988a. "Mississippi Kite." In Handbook of North American birds, edited by R. S. Palmer, 166-186. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press. Close Parker 1988a, Parker, J. W. 1996. "Urban Ecology of the Mississippi Kite." In Raptors in human landscapes., edited by D. Bird, D. Varland and J. Negro, 45-52. New York: Academic Press. Close Parker 1996, Glinski, R. L. and A. L. Gennaro. 1988. "Mississippi Kite." In Proceedings of the Southwest Raptor Management Symposium and Workshop., edited by R. L. Glinski and et al, 54-56. Washington, D.C: Natl. Wildl. Fed. Close Glinski and Gennaro 1988, Meyer, K. D. 1990a. "Kites." In Proceedings of the Southwest Raptor Management Symposium and Workshop., edited by B. G. Pendleton, 38-49. Washington, D.C: Natl. Wildl. Fed. Close Meyer 1990a, Sweet, M. J. 1991. "Kites and Northern Harrier." In Proceedings of the Midwest raptor management symposium and workshop, 32-41. Washington, D.C.: Natl. Wildl. Fed. Close Sweet 1991). Little is known of the Mississippi Kite outside the United States.