The Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) is a small raptor found throughout the southern and central United States. These graceful birds are a common sight in the skies above open fields, forests, and wetlands during the summer months. Mississippi kites build nests high up in trees and lay 2-3 eggs that are incubated by both parents for a period of 28-32 days before hatching. The length of the Mississippi kite’s incubation period allows the parents sufficient time to keep the eggs properly warmed and guarded until the young are ready to hatch.
Incubation Period Range
The incubation period for Mississippi kite eggs can last from 28-32 days from when the first egg is laid until it hatches. This roughly one month long timeframe allows the developing chicks enough time to fully form inside the eggs before emerging as hatchlings. The incubation duties are shared by both male and female parents who take turns sitting on the eggs while the other goes off to hunt for food. The parents will rotate incubating shifts multiple times per day.
Some key points regarding the Mississippi kite’s incubation period length:
- Incubation lasts 28-32 days on average.
- Both male and female share incubation duties.
- Parents trade off incubating shifts multiple times per day.
- Allows enough development time for chicks before hatching.
By having an incubation period of approximately one month, Mississippi kite embryos are afforded all the time they need to properly progress through all stages of growth before being ready to fully hatch from the egg.
Stages of Embryonic Development
During the 28-32 day incubation period, Mississippi kite embryos undergo a series of developmental changes and growth:
Week 1
– The fertilized egg cell begins dividing and multiplying rapidly.
– A primitive streak forms indicating the head and tail ends of the embryo.
– A neural tube develops along the back which will form the brain and spinal cord.
– Early cardiovascular system forms including a simple tubular heart.
Week 2
– Feather tracts begin to appear on the skin, starting the feather formation process.
– Beak starts developing.
– Legs and wing buds become visible as limbs start to grow.
– Sex organs and gonads start to form.
– Cardiovascular system continues developing.
Week 3
– Feather quills continue growing and branch off into filaments.
– Claws grow out on feet.
– Legs lengthen and joint segments become defined.
– Wings grow longer.
– Eyes darken as retinas form.
– Skeletal system ossification starts.
– Digestive tract differentiation occurs.
Week 4
– Downy coat of natal feathers emerges through the skin.
– Egg tooth forms on the tip of the beak to help crack the shell during hatching.
– Yolk sac starts to shrink as the chick relies more on food in its system.
– Legs are flexed in preparation for hatching movements.
– Lungs begin to function in preparation for external respiration after hatching.
– Fully formed bird ready to pip through shell and hatch.
The 28-32 days of Mississippi kite embryonic development allows for full transformation from a single cell into a fully fledged hatchling equipped for survival. The parents’ attentive incubation provides optimal conditions for each morphological change to occur right on schedule.
Factors Influencing Incubation Period Length
While the average Mississippi kite incubation period falls between 28-32 days, there are several factors that can cause the duration to be slightly shorter or longer:
Temperature
Incubation temperature greatly impacts developmental rate. Warmer egg temperatures accelerate embryo growth while cooler temperatures slow things down. Mississippi kite parents maintain incubation temperatures between 35-40°C (95-104°F). Temperatures nearing the extremes of that range could influence period length.
Parent Attentiveness
Both parents sharing brooding duties evenly allows for continuous temperature regulation. If one parent incubates less frequently, more fluctuations could lengthen the period. Any prolonged chilling of the eggs while unattended could also extend the incubation timeframe.
Clutch Size
Mississippi kites usually lay 2-3 eggs per clutch. The more eggs being incubated together, the more parental heat is needed for proper temperature among the whole clutch. With more eggs, length may be slightly increased.
Egg Size
Larger eggs require extra incubation time compared to smaller ones. With more embryo mass to heat throughout, period length could be greater in larger Mississippi kite eggs.
Hatching Asynchrony
Within a clutch, some eggs may hatch a few days earlier or later than others due to minute differences in their individual development. This hatching asynchrony leads to a broader range for the total incubation period.
While ambient conditions and egg attributes cause some natural variation, most Mississippi kite eggs hatch after 28-32 days of dutiful parental incubation.
Process of Hatching
As the 28-32 day incubation period nears completion, the fully developed Mississippi kite chick inside the egg prepares to hatch:
– The egg tooth on the beak tip breaks through the inner shell membrane.
– Using its tooth, the chick begins pecking and chipping at the shell to break it apart in a circular pattern. This usually takes 12-24 hours from initial pips to fully hatching.
– The head emerges first so the chick can take its first breaths of air. Respiration switches from the internal yolk sac to the external lungs.
– Additional pecking widens the hole for the chick to work its way out. It rotates and contorts its body to maneuver clear of the shell remnants.
– Wet and exhausted, the newly hatched chick rests on the nest bottom while its damp down dries and fluffs up for warmth.
– Parents dispose of the fragmented eggshell pieces and may provide an initial feeding to the chick after hatching completes.
From the initial pips with the egg tooth, it takes around half a day’s pecking effort and wiggling for the Mississippi kite chick to fully extricate itself from the egg and take its first looks at the outside world. The incubation and hatching processes require extensive energy, so the chick rests post-hatch before increasing activity.
Newly Hatched Chick Condition
Once free of its eggshell after 28-32 days of incubation, the newly hatched Mississippi kite chick displays several distinctive features and behaviors:
– A thin off-white down covers the body for insulation. Natal plumage lacks the darker markings of adults.
– Eyes are open but vision is initially poor during the first days after hatching.
– Legs are relatively weak and underdeveloped. The chick can sit up but not stand or walk much yet.
– Wings are small and unfit for any flight. They will need weeks of growth before achieving flight capability.
– The egg tooth drops off within days of hatching since it has served its function.
– Constant peeping vocalizations elicit feeding from the attentive parents.
– Sleeping constitutes much time as the chick conserves energy and continues developing.
Dependent and sedentary at first, the young kite fills its time with sleeping, eating, and growing its juvenile feathers. Within a couple weeks, the chick will stand and walk along branches, waving its developing wings in preparation for its inaugural flight in another month or two.
Parental Care After Hatching
Once their eggs hatch after 28-32 days of incubation, the Mississippi kite parents continue diligent care of their vulnerable chicks:
– Shade the chick from sun and rain, shield it from predators.
– Brood the chick for warmth if conditions are cool or wet.
– Bring food frequently, provide regurgitated meals whenever the chick is begging.
– Remove fecal sacs to keep nest sanitary.
– Defend the nest area from potential threats.
– As the chick grows, encourage wing flapping and exercises to build flight muscles.
– After first flight, still deliver food and guard the youngster until independence.
Proper incubation leads to successful hatching, but attentive post-hatch parental care is equally crucial for the chick’s early survival and growth. The adults continue supplying protection, warmth, sanitation, food, and flight training throughout the chick’s first weeks until it is ready to fly solo.
Fledging Age
Following a 28-32 day incubation and hatching period, Mississippi kite chicks remain in the nest and under their parents’ care until reaching fledging age, which is:
– Between 27-31 days after hatching.
– Fledging occurs shortly before juvenile independence.
– Chick’s wings are sufficiently developed for flight by fledging.
– Parents encourage flying exercises pre-fledging.
– Initial flights are clumsy but improve rapidly.
– Parents continue some feedings post-fledging.
Within about one month after the incubation period ends in hatching, the juvenile Mississippi kite is ready to take its first wobbly flights out of the nest, an important milestone called fledging. The young birds hone their aerial skills daily until flying adeptly and leaving parental care soon after.
Conclusion
Incubation is a key reproductive stage for Mississippi kites, allowing their embryos to fully develop while protected in the egg until ready to hatch. The average incubation period lasts 28-32 days from when the first egg is laid until the first chick hatches. Both parent birds share brooding shifts to maintain ideal egg temperatures throughout. As incubation nears completion after about one month, the chick pips the shell then pecks its way out before being cared for as a helpless hatchling by the attentive kite parents. With proper post-hatching parental support, the young will fledge its first flight within another month, soon reaching independence. Thanks to the Mississippi kite’s month-long incubation period, the resulting hatchlings enter the world equipped for survival and ready to take wing on their own.