The Mississippi Kite is a small raptor found primarily in the southeastern United States. They are opportunistic feeders and eat a variety of insects and other small prey. Wasps make up a portion of their diet, especially in late summer when wasp populations are at their peak. In this article, we will explore the diet of Mississippi Kites and their predation on wasps in more detail.
About the Mississippi Kite
The Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) is a medium-sized bird of prey that belongs to the family Accipitridae. They have grayish plumage as adults and are darker colored as juveniles. Their wingspan reaches about 3 feet and they weigh just under 1 pound on average.
Mississippi Kites breed in the southern Great Plains and southeastern United States. They migrate to southern South America for the winter. Though they were historically more widespread, loss of habitat has caused them to be concentrated heavily in the Mississippi River valley region.
These raptors are aerial hunters and spend a great deal of time on the wing catching insects and other small prey. They are agile flyers and sometimes feed on the wing. Mississippi Kites most often perch relatively low to scan for food items.
Diet and Hunting
The diet of Mississippi Kites consists primarily of insects and other small invertebrates like spiders. Grasshoppers, dragonflies, and cicadas make up a good portion of their prey. They also eat small vertebrates including frogs, mice, snakes, and nestling birds.
Mississippi Kites are opportunistic predators and will feed on whatever prey is most abundant at a given place and time. They often hunt near grasslands and fields where they can spot insects and other prey items. Their vision is well-adapted to detecting motion of potential food at long distances.
In late summer, Mississippi Kites take advantage of large aggregations of wasps, bees, and hornets to add protein-rich food to their diet. The raptors are adept at preying on the flying insects without getting stung. They tend to pick off single wasps that have ventured away from the main nest to reduce risk of multiple stings.
Predation on Wasps and Bees
Here we will look specifically at how Mississippi Kites hunt wasps, bees, hornets and feed on their colonies.
Hunting Individual Wasps
Mississippi Kites are well known for being able to deftly capture wasps and bees on the wing. The raptors approach from underneath where they are hard for the stinging insects to detect. With precise timing, the kites clamp their beaks shut on the unsuspecting wasps and immediately consume them. This minimizes the risk of being stung inside the mouth. Researchers have found the crop contents of Mississippi Kites to contain only legs and wings of wasps, indicating that the raptors discard the stingers before swallowing.
Raiding Wasp Nests
In late summer and fall, Mississippi Kites also engage in more daring acts of predation by raiding the nests of wasps, hornets, and bees. They typically target the large gray paper nests of bald-faced hornets which can contain over 700 adults in peak season.
Here is an overview of how Mississippi Kites attack a wasp or hornet nest:
- Locate nests hanging from tree branches, eaves, or utility equipment.
- Circle above nest and study the flight patterns of the defenders.
- Swoop down quickly and puncture nest to create an opening.
- Feast on larvae while fending off attacking adult insects.
- Repeatedly return to damaged nest to eat wasps and honey.
- May guard nest temporarily to keep other wildlife away.
The kites seem impervious to the repeated stings they receive during these nest raids. Researchers believe they are able to quickly pull stingers out before venom can reach the bloodstream. Mississippi Kites also rub crushed plants over their feathers which may help neutralize or minimize stings.
Eating Bees and Honey
In addition to adult wasps and hornets, Mississippi Kites also eat bees and consume honey from hives. They rob honey bee hives in a similar manner to wasp nests. The honey provides an excellent source of carbohydrates to fuel the metabolically demanding lifestyle of these aerial hunters.
Beekeepers in the southeastern U.S. are occasionally plagued by Mississippi Kites raiding their apiaries. The birds can damage wooden hive equipment and agitate the colony. Apiaries located near known Mississippi Kite nesting and roosting areas are at highest risk of being targeted.
Benefits of Wasp Predation
While destructive to apiaries, the raiding of wasp nests provides ecological benefits that may outweigh the costs to beekeepers. Mississippi Kites help control populations of wasps like yellowjackets that can become pests if colonies grow too large near human habitation. Their predation can prevent wasp numbers from reaching nuisance levels.
Quantifying Wasp Predation
Several ornithological studies have given us quantitative data on the extent that wasps are eaten by Mississippi Kites:
Percentage of Diet
Study Location | Percent of Diet From Wasps |
---|---|
Oklahoma | 18% |
Mississippi | 15% |
Texas | 10% |
These studies looked at crop contents of Mississippi Kites across parts of their range. Wasps made up a significant minority of the raptors’ diet in all regions. The kites likely opportunistically feed on wasp availability.
Number of Wasps Consumed
Researchers in Mississippi inspected 136 Mississippi Kite nests over a two year period. They counted the number of wasp fragments and body parts present in each nest:
Wasp Fragments | Nests Containing |
---|---|
None | 12 |
1 – 50 | 45 |
51 – 100 | 28 |
100 – 500 | 33 |
500+ | 18 |
This shows that most nests contained wasp parts indicating regular predation. The highest was over 550 fragments in one nest alone.
Number of Wasp Nests Raided
Kites in Texas were observed raiding an average of 2-3 wasp nests each over the course of a breeding season. The most ambitious kite attacked 14 separate nests in a single season!
Hunting Tactics
Mississippi Kites have developed specialized hunting techniques and behaviors to take advantage of wasp prey:
Cooperative Hunting
Mississippi Kites will sometimes work together to overwhelm a wasp nest. One kite distracts the defenders, then others swoop in to breach the entrance and eat larvae. Family groups may take turns feasting on a large nest over several days.
Nest Guarding
After damaging a nest, Mississippi Kites will occasionally stand guard nearby to keep other predators away. This allows them to complete feasting on the nest before abandoning it. They may guard for up to 2 hours.
Heat Tolerance
To safely consume wasps, Mississippi Kites appear to have higher heat tolerance in their mouths than other birds of prey. They discard stingers quickly before venom can penetrate. This allows them to hold more wasps in their beak at one time.
Insect Avoidance
Mississippi Kites have excellent vision and maneuverability to avoid stings during wasp attacks. They keep their eyes on the nest entrance and make quick dives to briefly pierce it before getting mobbed. Their slender shape also makes it harder for wasps to land stinging blows during high-speed chases.
Tool Use
There are some accounts of Mississippi Kites dropping rocks or sticks onto wasp nests to weaken them before raiding. More research is needed, but they may display basic tool use behavior.
Risks and Dangers
Despite their adaptations, Mississippi Kites do face dangers and risks when preying on stinging insects:
Beekeeper Persecution
Beekeepers will sometimes shoot Mississippi Kites to keep them away from apiaries. This is illegal given the birds’ protected status. But nest raiding can provoke retaliation.
Stings
Though rare, stings inside the mouth or eyes can potentially be fatal if they obstruct feeding or sight. Kites likely perish from stings on occasion.
Anaphylaxis
Like humans, Mississippi Kites can experience severe life-threatening allergic reactions from wasp venom in rare cases. Anaphylactic shock is difficult to survive in the wild.
Distraction
Kites focused on raiding a nest may let their guard down and expose themselves to predation from larger raptors. Great horned owls and red-tailed hawks will opportunistically prey on distracted kites.
Nest Damage
If defenses fail, wasps can sometimes overrun a Mississippi Kite nest and kill eggs or nestlings. Beekeepers have reported hives killing young kites after being repeatedly robbed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, wasps and bees make up a key part of the Mississippi Kite’s diet, especially in late summer. The kites have developed impressive adaptations that allow them to hunt wasps and raid their nests with minimal risk of harm. This opportunistic predation provides ecological benefits by regulating wasp populations. However, it can also put the kites into conflict with beekeepers. Overall, the Mississippi Kite’s fondness for stinging insects represents an intriguing case of specialized raptor behavior.