Some people also suggest walking with an open umbrella if you have to walk past a dive-bombing kite. “What I typically do is avoid areas where it seems like they are nesting and wave my arms if I do see one that is dive-bombing. Ambardar lists some precautionary tips to avoid any dangerous interaction with these birds. Not only safety of students, faculty, and the community around campus but also for the Mississippi Kites. I think it’s definitely worth a try, but, but for most birds, static decoys just become part of the background landscape to them once they get used to them,” Ambardar said.įor Fort Hays, the main priority is safety. “In most cases, decoys don’t usually seem to deter bird nesting. This year, more preventative action is being taken as the campus has set out decoys to help prevent the birds from making FHSU their home again. The Mississippi Kites’ nest cannot be moved unless the parent birds abandon the nest, and the birds are also federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.ĭue to these birds being drawn to campus and the community, last year, a section of trees by Forsyth Library and Malloy Hall was completely blocked off due to the dangerous swooping nature of these birds. While most kites are not that aggressive, we tend to notice the ones that are on the extreme end of the spectrum more, so it makes sense to be nervous when we start seeing these birds returning to the area.” “Unfortunately, some individuals are very bold and do not hesitate to dive-bomb people. They simply have evolved to defend their babies against what they perceive as threat,” Ambardar said. “I think one thing to remember is that the Mississippi Kites are not being malicious. They gracefully glide through the air, but as the campus of Fort Hays learned last year, getting too close to these gliding birds puts them into attack mode, and they turn from gracefully gliding to dangerously dive-bombing on those who get too close. These characteristics seem to make the Hays area ‘just right’ for kite habitat.”Īccording to, the Mississippi Kites are birds that are small raptors sized between a crow and a goose.
It gets fairly warm in the summer, and there are plenty of insects. “The Hays area has some trees, but not too many. “Mississippi Kites tend to be drawn to areas where they can nest and find food – mostly insects,” she said. With the commotion caused last year on campus by the infamous Mississippi Kites, it should come as no surprise that the birds are preparing to make their grand return to campus again.įHSU Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Medhavi Ambardar said these birds are drawn to the Hays and surrounding Kansas area due to the warm climate and the increase in insects this time of year.
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