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Owl Adaptations Teacher Pre-Visit Packet Welcome!
Owl Adaptations Teacher Pre-Visit Packet Welcome! Dear Teacher, Thank you for booking a program with the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey! We are very excited to meet you and to teach your students. This packet was designed to help you be able to prepare your students for their Owl Adaptations program with the Audubon Center. The following pages include vocabulary your students should be familiar with, a reading list, lesson ideas, and more! I hope these ideas help you and your students better connect to birds of prey, and extend their learning around their program with the Audubon Center. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. See you soon! Laura VonMutius Education Manager Audubon Center for Birds of Prey [email protected] 407- 644 - 0190 Vocabulary Before you visit the Center, familiarize your students with some important vocabulary terms that we may use throughout the program: 1. Adaptation: adjustment to meet certain environmental changes. 2. Birds of Prey: birds, which generally prey upon other animals for food; generally meaning eagles, hawks, kites, falcons, ospreys, owls, and vul- tures; also known as Raptors. 3. Crepuscular: most active in the twilight hours (dawn and/or dusk). 4. Camouflage: markings possessed by an animal which helps it blend in with its surroundings. 5. Diurnal: active during the daytime, as opposed to nocturnal. 6. Environment: surroundings in which an organism lives 7. Facial Disks: a disk shaped mask on an owl, formed by very small feath- ers which fan out from the eyes to the ears. -
The Eagle Owl in Britain Tim Melling, Steve Dudley and Paul Doherty
The Eagle Owl in Britain Tim Melling, Steve Dudley and Paul Doherty Richard Allen ABSTRACT Interest in the Eagle Owl Bubo bubo in Britain has increased during the past decade, particularly in relation to two well-known breeding pairs in northern England. An increase in the numbers being reported has led to calls for Eagle Owl to be re-admitted to the British List.This paper examines the BOURC’s previous reviews, which led to the species’ removal from the British List in 1996, the historical status of Eagle Owl in captivity, and other data relating to this species, in order to assess the likelihood of natural vagrancy. he Eagle Owl Bubo bubo is a widespread century (Yalden 1999). It is also surprising that, and ecologically adaptable species, for an obvious and revered species, there are no Toccupying a range of habitats in Europe, lingering tales, legends, myths or folklore from the mountains of southern Spain to the relating to Eagle Owls in British literature forests of northern Scandinavia. It is therefore (Harrison & Reid-Henry 1988). difficult to explain why the species apparently did not persist in Britain beyond the Mesolithic Recent historical status and BOURC reviews (c. 9,000–10,000 years BP; Stewart 2007). One Eagle Owl was included in all the BOU lists possible explanation is that it was exterminated published before 1992. In the first (BOU 1883) by humans (Mikkola 1983), although this seems and second (BOU 1915) it was described as a unlikely given that more conspicuous predators, scarce/occasional visitor, the latter stating also such as Wolf Canis lupus and Brown Bear Ursus that specimens were ‘taken in the Shetland and arctos, survived until relatively recent times. -
Parallel Variation in North and Middle American Screech-Owls
MONOGRAPHS OF THE WESTERN FOUNDATION OF VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY JULY 1967 PARALLEL VARIATION IN NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICAN SCREECH-OWLS BY JOE T. MARSHALL, J MONOGRAPHS OF THE WESTERN FOUNDATION OF VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY NO. 1 JULY 1967 PARALLEL VARIATION IN NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICAN SCREECH-OWLS BY JOE T. MARSHALL, WESTERN FOUNDi,710' 1 OF VERTEBRATE ZOO! OGY 1100 GLENDON AVENUE • GRANITE 7-2001 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90024 BOARD OF TRUSTEES ED N. HARRISON ...... PRESIDENT FRANCES F. ROBERTS . EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT C. V. DUFF . VICE PRESIDENT J. C. VON BLOEKER, JR .. VICE PRESIDENT SIDNEY B. PEYTON SECRETARY BETTY T. HARRISON TREASURER MAURICE A. MACHRIS ....... ... .. TRUSTEE J. R. PEMBERTON ......... PRESIDENT EMERITUS WILLIAM J. SHEFFLER ..... VICE PRESIDENT EMERITUS JEAN T. DELACOUR ........ ... DIRECTOR EDITOR JACK C. VON BLOEKER, JR. A NON-PROFIT CORPORATION DEDICATED TO. THE STUDY OF ORNITHOLGY, OOLOGY, AND MAMMALOGY Date of Publication: 10 August 1967 Joe T. Marshall, Jr. Male Otus asio aikeni in its natural setting of velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina). The compressed plumage and fierce expression are due to belligerence aroused from hearing his own song played on a tape recorder in his own territory. Photographed in the field in Arizona. PARALLEL VARIATION IN NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICAN SCREECH-OWLS JOE T. MARSHALL, JR. My objective in this paper is to provide for the first time a delineation of species of North and Middle American Otus based on acquaintance with their biological traits in the field. Next I wish to show their racial convergence in concealing color patterns. Finally, I attempt to portray the dramatic geographic variation in those evanescent colors and patterns of fresh autumn plumage, in recently collected specimens (largely taken by myself). -
Gtr Pnw343.Pdf
Abstract Marcot, Bruce G. 1995. Owls of old forests of the world. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW- GTR-343. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 64 p. A review of literature on habitat associations of owls of the world revealed that about 83 species of owls among 18 genera are known or suspected to be closely asso- ciated with old forests. Old forest is defined as old-growth or undisturbed forests, typically with dense canopies. The 83 owl species include 70 tropical and 13 tem- perate forms. Specific habitat associations have been studied for only 12 species (7 tropical and 5 temperate), whereas about 71 species (63 tropical and 8 temperate) remain mostly unstudied. Some 26 species (31 percent of all owls known or sus- pected to be associated with old forests in the tropics) are entirely or mostly restricted to tropical islands. Threats to old-forest owls, particularly the island forms, include conversion of old upland forests, use of pesticides, loss of riparian gallery forests, and loss of trees with cavities for nests or roosts. Conservation of old-forest owls should include (1) studies and inventories of habitat associations, particularly for little-studied tropical and insular species; (2) protection of specific, existing temperate and tropical old-forest tracts; and (3) studies to determine if reforestation and vege- tation manipulation can restore or maintain habitat conditions. An appendix describes vocalizations of all species of Strix and the related genus Ciccaba. Keywords: Owls, old growth, old-growth forest, late-successional forests, spotted owl, owl calls, owl conservation, tropical forests, literature review. -
Tc & Forward & Owls-I-IX
USDA Forest Service 1997 General Technical Report NC-190 Biology and Conservation of Owls of the Northern Hemisphere Second International Symposium February 5-9, 1997 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Editors: James R. Duncan, Zoologist, Manitoba Conservation Data Centre Wildlife Branch, Manitoba Department of Natural Resources Box 24, 200 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg, MB CANADA R3J 3W3 <[email protected]> David H. Johnson, Wildlife Ecologist Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, WA, USA 98501-1091 <[email protected]> Thomas H. Nicholls, retired formerly Project Leader and Research Plant Pathologist and Wildlife Biologist USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station 1992 Folwell Avenue St. Paul, MN, USA 55108-6148 <[email protected]> I 2nd Owl Symposium SPONSORS: (Listing of all symposium and publication sponsors, e.g., those donating $$) 1987 International Owl Symposium Fund; Jack Israel Schrieber Memorial Trust c/o Zoological Society of Manitoba; Lady Grayl Fund; Manitoba Hydro; Manitoba Natural Resources; Manitoba Naturalists Society; Manitoba Critical Wildlife Habitat Program; Metro Propane Ltd.; Pine Falls Paper Company; Raptor Research Foundation; Raptor Education Group, Inc.; Raptor Research Center of Boise State University, Boise, Idaho; Repap Manitoba; Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada; USDI Bureau of Land Management; USDI Fish and Wildlife Service; USDA Forest Service, including the North Central Forest Experiment Station; Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; The Wildlife Society - Washington Chapter; Wildlife Habitat Canada; Robert Bateman; Lawrence Blus; Nancy Claflin; Richard Clark; James Duncan; Bob Gehlert; Marge Gibson; Mary Houston; Stuart Houston; Edgar Jones; Katherine McKeever; Robert Nero; Glenn Proudfoot; Catherine Rich; Spencer Sealy; Mark Sobchuk; Tom Sproat; Peter Stacey; and Catherine Thexton. -
Owls-Of-Nh.Pdf
Lucky owlers may spot the stunning great gray owl – but only in rare years when prey is sparse in its Arctic habitat. ©ALAN BRIERE PHOTO 4 January/February 2009 • WILDLIFE JOURNAL OWLSof NEW HAMPSHIRE Remarkable birds of prey take shelter in our winter woods wls hold a special place in human culture and folklore. The bright yellow and black eyes surrounded by an orange facial disc Oimage of the wise old owl pervades our literature and conjures and a white throat patch. up childhood memories of bedtime stories. Perhaps it’s their circular Like most owls, great horned owls are not big on building their faces and big eyes that promote those anthropomorphic analogies, own nests. They usually claim an old stick nest of another species or maybe it is owls’ generally nocturnal habits that give them an air – perhaps one originally built by a crow, raven or red-tailed hawk. In of mystery and fascination. New Hampshire, great horned owls favor nest- New Hampshire’s woods and swamps are ing in great blue heron nests in beaver-swamp home to several species of owls. Four owl spe- BY IAIN MACLEOD rookeries. Many times, while checking rooker- cies regularly nest here: great horned, barred, ies in early spring, I’ll see the telltale feather Eastern screech and Northern saw-whet. One other species, the tufts sticking up over the edge of a nest right in the middle of all long-eared owl, nests sporadically in the northern part of the state. the herons. Later in the spring, I’ll return and see a big fluffy owlet None of these species is rare enough to be listed in the N.H. -
Barred Owl (Strix Varia)
Wild Things in Your Woodlands Barred Owl (Strix varia) The barred owl is a large bird, up to 20 inches long, with a wingspan of 44 inches. It is gray-brown in color, with whitish streaks on the back and head, brown horizontal bars on its white chest, and vertical bars on its belly. This owl has a round face without ear tufts, and a whitish facial disk with dark concentric rings around brown eyes. Males and females look similar, but females can weigh about one third more than males. “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?” This is the familiar call of the barred owl defending its territory or attracting a mate. If you live in or near a heavily wooded area with mature forest, particularly if there is also a stream or other body of water nearby, this sound is probably familiar. Barred owls are the most vocal of our owls, and most often are heard calling early at night and at dawn. They call year-round, but courtship activities begin in February and breeding takes place primarily in March and April. Nesting in cavities or abandoned hawk, squirrel, or crow nests, the female sits on a nest of 1-5 eggs for 28 to 33 days. During this time, the male brings food to her. Once the eggs have hatched, both parents care for the fledglings for at least 4 months. Barred owls mate for life, reuse their nest site for many years, and maintain territories from 200 – 400 acres in size. Barred owls are strongly territorial and remain in their territories for most, if not all, of the year. -
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
FACT SHEET Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ARCTIC BIRDS IN YOUR STATE The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a place unlike any Alabama - Ruby-crowned Kinglet Alaska - Redpoll other in the world. The Alaskan refuge, often referred to Arizona - Fox Sparrow as “America’s Serengeti,” is a remote sanctuary for diverse Arkansas - Mallard California - Snow Goose populations of migratory birds, fish, mammals, and marine Colorado - Bohemian Waxwing Connecticut - Greater Scaup life. The Refuge spans an area roughly the size of South Delaware - Black-bellied Plover Carolina and boasts snow-capped mountains, arctic tundra, Florida - Peregrine Falcon Georgia - Gray-checked Thrush foothills, wetlands, boreal forest, and fragile coastal plains. Hawaii - Wandering Tattler America’s Arctic Refuge was set aside as a safe haven for Idaho - Short-eared Owl Illinois - Northern Flicker wildlife in 1960, and it has remained wild in its more than Indiana - Dark-eyed Junco 50 years as a Refuge. Iowa - Sharp-shinned Hawk Kansas - Smith’s Longspur Kentucky – Merlin AMERICA’S LAST GREAT WILDERNESS Louisiana - Long-billed Dowitcher Maine - Least Sandpiper Maryland - Tundra Swan The Arctic Refuge is often mischaracterized as a blank, frozen void Massachusetts - Golden Plover of uninhabited tundra. Although winter frequently coats the Arc- Michigan - Long-tail Duck tic with snow and freezes the ground, it gives way to lush, vibrant Minnesota - Snowy Owl Mississippi – Northern Waterthrush growth in warmer months. In fact, the Refuge’s unparalleled diver- Missouri - American Pipit sity makes it the most biologically productive habitat in the North. Montana - Golden Eagle Nebraska - Wilson’s Warbler Landscape Nevada - Green-winged Teal The majestic Brooks Range rises 9,000 feet, providing sharp contrast New Hampshire - Dunlin New Jersey – Canvasback to the flat, wetlands-rich coastal plains at its feet. -
Tidal Marsh Recovery Plan Habitat Creation Or Enhancement Project Within 5 Miles of OAK
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Recovery Plan for Tidal Marsh Ecosystems of Northern and Central California California clapper rail Suaeda californica Cirsium hydrophilum Chloropyron molle Salt marsh harvest mouse (Rallus longirostris (California sea-blite) var. hydrophilum ssp. molle (Reithrodontomys obsoletus) (Suisun thistle) (soft bird’s-beak) raviventris) Volume II Appendices Tidal marsh at China Camp State Park. VII. APPENDICES Appendix A Species referred to in this recovery plan……………....…………………….3 Appendix B Recovery Priority Ranking System for Endangered and Threatened Species..........................................................................................................11 Appendix C Species of Concern or Regional Conservation Significance in Tidal Marsh Ecosystems of Northern and Central California….......................................13 Appendix D Agencies, organizations, and websites involved with tidal marsh Recovery.................................................................................................... 189 Appendix E Environmental contaminants in San Francisco Bay...................................193 Appendix F Population Persistence Modeling for Recovery Plan for Tidal Marsh Ecosystems of Northern and Central California with Intial Application to California clapper rail …............................................................................209 Appendix G Glossary……………......................................................................………229 Appendix H Summary of Major Public Comments and Service -
The Correspondence of Peter Macowan (1830 - 1909) and George William Clinton (1807 - 1885)
The Correspondence of Peter MacOwan (1830 - 1909) and George William Clinton (1807 - 1885) Res Botanica Missouri Botanical Garden December 13, 2015 Edited by P. M. Eckel, P.O. Box 299, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, 63166-0299; email: mailto:[email protected] Portrait of Peter MacOwan from the Clinton Correspondence, Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, New York, USA. Another portrait is noted by Sayre (1975), published by Marloth (1913). The proper citation of this electronic publication is: "Eckel, P. M., ed. 2015. Correspondence of Peter MacOwan(1830–1909) and G. W. Clinton (1807–1885). 60 pp. Res Botanica, Missouri Botanical Garden Web site.” 2 Acknowledgements I thank the following sequence of research librarians of the Buffalo Museum of Science during the decade the correspondence was transcribed: Lisa Seivert, who, with her volunteers, constructed the excellent original digital index and catalogue to these letters, her successors Rachael Brew, David Hemmingway, and Kathy Leacock. I thank John Grehan, Director of Science and Collections, Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, New York, for his generous assistance in permitting me continued access to the Museum's collections. Angela Todd and Robert Kiger of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie-Melon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, provided the illustration of George Clinton that matches a transcribed letter by Michael Shuck Bebb, used with permission. Terry Hedderson, Keeper, Bolus Herbarium, Capetown, South Africa, provided valuable references to the botany of South Africa and provided an inspirational base for the production of these letters when he visited St. Louis a few years ago. Richard Zander has provided invaluable technical assistance with computer issues, especially presentation on the Web site, manuscript review, data search, and moral support. -
Barred Owl (Strix Varia)
Barred Owl (Strix varia) DID YOU KNOW: The rich baritone hooting you may hear in the woods that sounds like 'who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all' is the barred owl. They get their name from the dark barred pattern on the feathers. EATING HABITS: Barred owls are well-adapted for hunting small mammals, reptiles and birds; they will even eat fish! Their sharp talons and beak are perfect for grabbing, killing and tearing the meat. They seek prey from a perch or while flying low through the forest. They are most active at night, but will also hunt early in the morning and at dusk. The male hunts for food and brings it to the nest when the female is with the young. Lakeside Nature Center 4701 E Gregory, KCMO 64132 816-513-8960 www.lakesidenaturecenter.org THE YOUNG: The adult pair chooses a large hollow in a tree to make their nest. Sometimes they may even use an old abandoned hawk or squirrel nest. The pair calls to each other often when preparing to raise their family. The female lays two to four eggs that hatch in about 30 days. The babies look like big puffballs while they are covered with down. The feathers soon begin to grow in, and they are able to fly in about six weeks. HABITAT (HOME): Barred owls can be found from the East Coast to the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Woodlands that are near rivers and other wetlands are prime barred owl habitat. Locally you can hear or see barred owls where the Missouri and the Blue Rivers run through wooded areas. -
Eastern Screech-Owl (Otus Asio)
Wild Things in Your Woodlands Eastern Screech-Owl (Otus asio) The Eastern Screech-Owl is a small, nocturnal, predatory bird, about 8.5 inches in size. The robin-sized owl has short, rounded wings, bright yellow eyes, and a rounded head with visible “ear tufts.” The ear tufts, which the bird raises when alarmed, are otherwise inconspicuous. The facial disc is lightly mottled and has a prominent dark rim along the sides. The tail and the flight feathers of the wings are barred. The eastern screech-owl occurs in two color morphs, red and gray. The red color morph is more common near the coast, and the grey color morph is more common in the interior of the state. Male and female screech owls look alike. In the fall, light and temperature conditions mimic those of spring, and birds and amphibians sometimes begin calling again, a behavior called autumnal recrudescence. At this time, the screech owl’s tremulous call can be heard in a variety of habitats including open woodlands, deciduous forests, parks, farms, riparian areas, swamps, old orchards, small woodlots, and suburban areas. This small owl is an often common, nocturnal bird in much of New York State, though it is uncommon in heavily forested regions, at high elevations, and on Long Island. The screech owl is a year-round resident, spending both the breeding and non-breeding seasons in the same area. The screech owl nests in natural hollows or cavities in trees, old woodpecker holes, nesting boxes, and occasionally crevices in the sides of buildings. Screech owl pairs may roost together in the same tree cavity during the day throughout the breeding season.