Kites are raptors with long wings and weak legs that spend most of the time soaring. Most feed mainly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey. (Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal) They are birds of prey which, along with hawks and eagles, are from the family Accipitridae.

English	Norsk	Latin
Brahminy Kite	Braminglente	Haliastur indus
Whistling Kite	Plystreglente	Haliastur sphenurus
Black-breasted Buzzard	Kongeglente	Hamirostra melanosternon
Double-toothed Kite	Tannglente	Harpagus bidentatus
Rufous-thighed Kite	Rustlegglente	Harpagus diodon
Slender-billed Kite	Smalnebbglente	Helicolestes hamatus
Mississippi Kite	Mississippiglente	Ictinia mississippiensis
Plumbeous Kite	Blyglente	Ictinia plumbea
Square-tailed Kite	Langvingeglente	Lophoictinia isura
Square-tailed Kite	Langvingeglente	Lophoictinia isura
Black Kite	Svartglente	Milvus migrans
Black-eared Kite		Milvus migrans lineatus
Yellow-billed Kite		Milvus migrans aegyptius
Red Kite	Glente	Milvus milvus
Snail Kite	Snegleglente	Rostrhamus sociabilis

Juvenile Mississippi Kite, southwest Oklahoma http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Juvikite.jpg The Mississippi Kite, Ictinia mississippiensis, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is 30–37 cm beak to tail and has a wingspan averaging 91 cm. Weight is from 214 to 388 grams. Adults are gray with darker gray on their tail feathers and outer wings and lighter gray on their heads and inner wings. Males and females look alike, but the males are slightly paler on the head and neck. Young kites have banded tails and streaked bodies. Mississippi Kites have narrow, pointed wings and are graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air. It is not uncommon to see several circling in the same area. Their diet consists mostly of insects which they capture in flight. They eat cicada, grasshoppers, and other crop-damaging insects, making them economically important. They have also been known to eat small vertebrates, including amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and occasionally birds. Their call is a high-pitched squeak, sounding similar to that of a squeaky dog toy. Mississippi Kite, southwest Oklahoma http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mississippi_Kite.jpg Mississippi Kites breed across the central and southern United States. Breeding territory has expanded in recent years and Mississippi Kites have been regularly recorded in the southern New England states and a pair has successfully raised young as far north as New Hampshire. They migrate to southern subtropical South America in the winter. Mississippi Kites usually lay two white eggs (rarely one or three) in twig nests that rest in a variety of deciduous trees. In the past 75 years, they have undergone changes in nesting habitat from use of forest and savanna to include shelterbelts and are now very common nesters in urban areas of all sizes in the western south-central states. Mississippi kites nest in colonies and both parents (paired up before arriving at the nesting site) incubate the eggs and care for the young. They have one clutch a year which takes 30 to 32 days to hatch. The young birds leave the nest another 30 to 35 days after hatching. Only about half of kites successfully raise their young. Clutches fall victim to storms and predators such as raccoons and Great Horned Owls. Because of the reduced amount of predators in urban areas, Mississippi Kites produce more offspring in urban areas than rural areas. They have an average lifespan of 8 years.