By Dan Klepal
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cicadas may be responsible for the appearance of three rare hawks spotted flying the skies of Greater Cincinnati this spring.

Officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Cincinnati Bird Club say the Mississippi Kites and the Swallow-tailed Kite seen in Hamilton County may be hanging around for the free buffet of some 7 billion periodical cicadas that have emerged for the first time in 17 years.

Neither of the species of hawk is seen regularly in Ohio, said Jim McCormac, a botanist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

"We average about one Mississippi Kite a year across the whole state, and we've had four reports this year," McCormac said, adding that two of those reports have been from Southwest Ohio.

"It is possible that they're following these cicadas," he said. "For whatever reason, there have been more Mississippi Kites than we've ever seen in a single year. If one did find its way to Hamilton County this spring, it would no doubt be quite delightful."

Ned Keller, director of the Cincinnati Bird Club and a director with the Ohio Ornithological Society, said one Mississippi Kite was spotted in Colerain Township two weeks ago and another was reported in Anderson Township last week.He said the Swallow-tailed Kite was seen two weeks ago in Hamilton County.

The Swallow-tailed Kite and its Mississippi cousin are expert fliers and usually pluck their meals out of mid-air. Neither bird is considered "endangered," but both are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it illegal to capture, purchase, sell or transport the birds without a permit.

McCormac said just about all birds - rare or not - are prospering this spring because of the abundant food source cicadas provide. Wild turkeys, in particular, showed a huge leap in population in 1988 - the year after the last cicada emergence.

E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com