Female Mississippi Kite

This is the female Mississippi Kite that I observed involved in copulation yesterday in Lamar. It is easier to differentiate females from males due to position in copulation than to do so from very subtle differences in plumage between them.

Mississippi Kites are not only acrobatic flyers but quite graceful. Read more about them at Cornell Lab's website
SeEtta

Mississippi Kites mating

This morning I was priviledged to observe a pair of Mississippi Kites copulating. These kites engage with each other for a much longer time than do many other bird species that put meaning to the phrase "quickie." These kites were involve in copulation for about 30-60 seconds while I have seen some birds spend less than 5 seconds engaged in this activity. This photo is actually of a pair I observed last summer as I couldn't get my car turned around fast enough today to get a photo of them.
SeEtta