Presently found           Most of N. America east of the Rockies. Eastern forests, swamps from the Gulf Coast to southern Canada. Florida, Texas, Central America.

Habitat                    Deep, dark woods, both deciduous and coniferous. Hides in thick foliage during the day. Primarily swamp and wetland dwellers. Does not migrate. Home range can be 500+ miles. Not present or extremely rare along Gulf Coast cheniers. Not found in Central America (replaced by Mottled Owl.)

Size                          18-20 inches in length. 3-4 foot wingspan.

Life Span              14+ years

Description         Large, round head. Brow-gray hornless (no ear tufts) owl with white spots on the back, white streaks on the belly that run lengthwise, and the white bars, from which their name is derived, on the neck and breast that run crosswise. Eyes are brown.

Diet                           Small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, crayfish, some birds. ZOO DIET: mice, rats, chicks twice a week. Raptor diet. Fasts two days a week. Mostly a nocturnal feeder.

Defense                 Clicks beak, fluffs and lowers head when agitated. When threatened, barred owls raise one wing and hold the other close to their body. This may give the owl the appearance of a mammal rather than a bird! ·Territorial in spring and fall and protect their territory by hooting. This warns other owls that this area is taken. If an intruding owl stays in the area after several warnings, the owl will fly to the intruder and try to use size and more aggressive calling to scare them off. Physical contact is the last resort as sharp talons and beaks may be deadly to both fighters. · Predators include Great Horned Owls, wild cats and humans.

Reproduction     Mate for life. Prefer abandoned hawk or crow nests or cavities in trees. Lay 2-4 white eggs, incubated 3-4 weeks by female. Fledge at 6 wks, with several more weeks before becoming independent.

Senses               Exc. eyesight. Exc. hearing. Most vocal of all owls. Best known call is a group of four hoots each howWHO-haWHOO!...howWHO-haWHOOAaahh! Often represented as "Who-cooks-for-you? Who-cooks-for-you-all? Tonal quality is a unique blend of bark and hoot. Are capable of wails, moans, cackles, hisses, laughs, and long, loud humanlike screams. Often call by day, especially before thunderstorms

Fun info                 · AKA: Crazy owl or Swamp owl.    · Can see 100X better than humans in darkness.

                                    · Crows and other small birds tend to mob and harass barred owl

·The spine-chilling shrieks, silent flight and nocturnal habits of some owls have led many people to believe that owls are magical or evil omens. Some people even believe that owls are able to predict births and deaths. These and other superstitions have led some humans to kill owls out of fear!

Brown Pelican

(Pelecanus occidentalis)

Presently found:    United States, Caribbean, South America, Galapagos Islands. There are seven species of pelican (and four subspecies of brown pelican) found worldwide.

Habitat: coastal regions     

Size:  weight – 3.6 kg to 5.0 kg (8 lbs to 11 lbs); length – 120 cm to 130 cm (47 inches to 51 inches); wingspan – 1.8 m to 2.1 m (6 ft to 7 ft)

Life span: up to 30 years in the wild

Description: Brown pelicans are the smallest of the pelican species; they have brown and white necks, creamy yellow crowns, brown back and tails, black legs, and webbed feet. The foot-long bill is draped with a grey, fleshy pouch.

Diet: Carnivores; Fishes, mainly those that are not considered commercially valuable, such as herring, mullet, minnows, and silversides. They may occasionally feed on crustaceans. Brown pelicans are “plunge” feeders, diving into the water in response to the silvery reflection of a fish near the surface. The scoop-like bill is able to hold up to three gallons of water and fish; the water drains out as the pelican tilts its head, leaving the fish behind to be swallowed. Pelicans can eat up to four pounds of fish per day.

Reproduction: Pelicans live and nest in colonies called “rookeries”. The male pelican selects a nesting site in a shallow depression in the ground or in a tree top and attempts to lure a female. After the female pelican has chosen a male, nest building begins and can take up to 10 days to complete. Two or three chalky white eggs are laid and incubated by both male and female for approximately one month.  Newly hatched pelicans are blind and featherless, completely dependent upon their parents. Young pelicans take flight at approximately 75 days.

Status: Listed as endangered in CA, LA, MS, OR, PR, TX, VI, WA, Central and South America; declassified but being monitored in AL, FL. Pelican populations have steadily recovered since the pesticide DDT was banned. High levels of DDT water contamination were shown to cause shell weakness in brown pelicans and subsequent declines in species’ reproduction.  

Other fun Info:

·        Brown pelicans have air sacs beneath the skin that provide cushioning as the bird makes impact with the water’s surface. The same sacs allow the pelican to be more buoyant (float better).   

·        A pelican’s pouch can hold three times as much as its stomach.   

·        A pelican’s neck appears twisted. This is because the seventh and ninth vertebrae (neck bones) are joined together, making it impossible for the bird to straighten its neck. 

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Black Vulture

(Coragyps atratus)

Presently found: Warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere, seasonally from Southern Canada to central Patagonia. Continental United States west from Texas through Florida.   

Habitat:  Open countryside, urban and suburban areas, where they can be seen at garbage dumps roadside, scavenging refuse and road kill. 

Size:  Weight – 0.9 kg to 2.0 kg (2 lbs to 4.5 lbs); length – 56 cm to 68 cm (22 inches to 27 inches); wingspan – 137 cm to 152 cm (54 inches to 60 inches)

Life span: Black vultures have been known to live up to 30 years in captivity; lifespan in the wild is likely much less due to predation, disease, or limited food availability.

Description:  The black vulture is a large black bird with a hooked beak and featherless neck and head. The legs are thick and grey and the talons (claws) are rather blunt. The black vulture has a broad wingspan and is often seen soaring and circling with other vultures. It is often confused with the turkey vulture, which has a pinkish head and soars with its wings in a v-shape. In contrast, the black vulture holds its wings straighter when soaring and has white tips on the underside of each wing.  Black vulture wings are also shorter and rounder than those of the turkey vulture. Young turkey vultures have a black head and may be confused with adult black vultures.  

Diet: Scavengers; feed on carrion (the remains of dead animals). Unlike most birds, black vultures do use their sense of smell to locate food. They may also occasionally eat eggs or small, weakened animals.   Black vultures are gregarious feeders and tend to flock around a single large carcass.

Reproduction: Black vultures do not build nests; rather, they lay eggs in caves, among rocks, or in tree hollows or bases. A clutch of 2 eggs hatches after an incubation period of 35 to 45 days. Young fledge after approximately 70 to 80 days.

Status:  No special status; common throughout their range.

Other fun Info:

·        Though New World vultures are often referred to as “buzzards”, this is technically incorrect. While Old World vultures and New World hawks are “buzzards” (members of the Buteo family), New World vultures are more closely related to storks.

·        The unusual bald head of the vulture is an interesting feeding adaptation, as it prevents bacterial infection as the bird’s head is submerged in a carcass. (Head feathers would get very messy!)

·        Vultures are known to defecate on their own legs. This behavior seems to have two benefits: (1) a cooling effect (2) cleansing bacterial contamination caused by standing in/near carrion.

Great Egret

(Casmerodius albus)

Presently found:    The Northern United States from Maine and southern Canada; west to the Great Lakes, south to Texas and the Gulf Coast; the Atlantic Coast  

Habitat: Wetland habitats, including fresh and saltwater marshes, swamps, streams, ponds, and lakes

Size: weight – 0.85 kg to 1.1 kg (30 ounces to 40 ounces); length – 81 cm to 96 cm (32 inches to 38 inches); wingspan – 1.4 m (55 inches); males and females appear similar, though males may be slightly larger.

Life span:     up to 20 years in the wild

Description: Tall, slender white bird with long black legs and black feet. The long legs aid the bird in wading in marshy waters, while the feet of the great egret are spread broadly to evenly distribute weight on muddy surface. The long, pointed, yellow beak is used to pluck food from the water. They are distinguished from snowy egrets, which have black legs and yellow feet, and cattle egrets with yellow legs and feet.  During mating season, the beak of the great egret may appear more orange, and long white feather plumes grow from the back and extend beyond the tail.  Neck appears s-shaped in flight.

Diet: Carnivorous; hunting egrets seem almost “frozen”, slowly wading through shallow water in search of fish, insects, crustaceans, frogs, snakes and snails.

Reproduction:    Great egrets generally nest in the vicinity of other heron species, building large platform nests in trees from twigs and stems of marsh plants. Nests are usually begun by the male of the species. Breeding begins around April, and females lay 3-5 eggs that hatch after a 23-24 day incubation period.  Great egrets are born semi-altricial (helpless), remaining in the nest for the first three weeks to be cared for by the adults. Young take flight approximately 40 days after hatching. 

Status: No special status. Early in the 20^th Century, egret numbers were highly diminished due to excessive hunting for plumage. Populations have recovered after market hunting was banned and egrets became a protected species. Numbers are still affected by habitat destruction and human disturbance of nesting sites.

Other fun Info:

·        While most other heron species tend to be nocturnal, great egrets can commonly be seen in wetland areas hunting mid-day.

·        Great egrets are also known as American egrets and great white egrets.

·        Due to the high demand for egret plumage for ladies’ hats in the late 1800s and early 1900s, egret feathers were worth twice their weight in gold by 1903!