Minnesota Journeys - Web of Life - High Above The Mississippi Diorama

I wasn't aware any kites lived in Minnesota. A quick google search said they are accidental there. Did they once live there?

This website claims that Minnesota has swallow-tailed kites:

Raptors! A Guide to Minnesota's Birds of Prey - All Seasons Wild Bird Store

Ebirds only got a bunch of sightings from 1999 and 2 from 2020 in the whole state. So they do accidentally show up there. Although using that few sightings almost every bird can be find at every state.

Several other websites though claim Minnesota used to be the northern border of their range. So I guess this diorama was created when they were more common in the state. I until now always assumed they were a coastal species. Guess I learned something new today

This diorama certainly could be much older than the new museum building itself, the old museum was built in 1940 and contained many dioramas.

The diorama is new, but it shows an older time when Swallow-tailed Kites bred as far north as Minnesota. They used to live all along the Mississippi river course.