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| GREAT HORNED OWL: - 25" long, 55" wingspan - Most widespread owl in North America - Known as "hoot owl" and "tiger of the air" - 2" feather tufts on head give appearance of horns - Primarily nocturnal - Prey as large as skunk, sometimes domestic cats - Typically uses nests of other large birds (hawks, etc.), but also will use tree cavities - Young leave nest & perch on nearby tree branches at 5 weeks, but cannot fly until 9-10 weeks - Usually non-migratory, year-round residents - "Still" hunter, speciallizing in surprise not pursuit. - Decapitates prey, then swallows whole - Egg laying and incubation completed by early March (FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE) |
| NORTHERN SHOVELER: - Large, spoon-shaped bill, longer than head, is used to strain food from water - Forages while swimming slowly with bill in water, seldom upends, rarely dives - Male remains with breeding female longer than most ducks, often part-way through incubation period - Often feeds in groups that rotate in pinwheel-like formations which stir the water surface for food; called "sewing circles" by hunters - Considered most territorial of all N. American dabbling ducks - Reported to be easiest duck to lure with decoys due to sense of curiosity - Nicknamed "spoonies", "spoonbills" and "grinning mallards" by hunters (CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION) |
| AMERICAN WIGEON: - Called "baldpate" due to white forehead - In flight shows wedge-shaped tails & white bellies - Rides high in water, grazing along surface, sometimes tipping, rarely diving - Will aggressively grab food from other ducks - Nests farther north than any other dabbling duck except Northern Pintail; up into Artic tundra - During non-breeding may spend much time in flocks grazing on land - Brooding hen one of the loudest of all ducks & will quack constantly & loudly when disturbed - Wary birds, quick to be alarmed - Possibly most abundant duck in North America (CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION) |
| WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: - Caches food in bark crevices during winter - Mated pairs remain on territory all year; usually non-migratory - Female will sweep nest site with insect in mouth; chemical secretions from insect may repel predators. Will also use bits of fur and stuff into nest crevices for same reasons - Usually seen moving headfirst down tree trunks; works tree from top-down. Clawlike hind toe on each foot anchors to tree - Uses holes in trees or abandoned woodpecker holes for nests - Used to be called "white bellied nuthatch" or "upside-down bird" (CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION) |
| HORNED LARK: - Only native lark in North America - "Horns" are tufts of feathers visible at close range - Courtship flight: male flies steeply in silence to several hundred feet, hovers & circles for several minutes while singing, then dives steeply toward ground - Does well in overgrazed land; likes open fields and can even be found on airport runways - Often seen on Long Island in large flocks among flocks of Snow Buntings - Attacked by falcons, owls & shrikes. Nests raided by raccoons, cats, crows & squirrels - Early nester, sometimes nest completely surrounded by snow (CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION) |
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