Eco-Meet 2013

1. Eco-Meet 2013 Birds of Prey

2. Nictitating Membrane

4. Osprey • Only one species • Fish-eating raptors • also called fish hawk • This bird dives under water to catch it prey if needed • Always holds the fish to provide a streamline flight pattern • Its claws resemble fish hooks, like raptors, they are rough because they are covered in spicules which give them traction

6. Northern Harrier • 10 species worldwide but only one in America, also called marsh hawk • Long legs and tail, white rump patch at base of tail • Live in open areas and makes nests on the ground • Hunt small birds, rodents, and insects • Have facial ruff that helps focus sound like a owl • Female is large and brown and white, male is smaller with gray under wings • Harrier-jet named after this bird • Will hover above food if they think they see something • Seldom nest in illinois seen during migration

8. Cooper’s Hawk • Three species of accipiters found in north America • Dark gray backs, barred or streaked breasts and tail • Feed mainly on birds and small mammals • About the size of a crow

10. Sharp-shinned Hawk • Pretty much same as coop

12. Broad-winged Hawk • Buteos are stout bodies hawks fan shaped tailmost passing through illinois bred in canada for mating season

14. Red-Shouldered Hawk • Prefer wetter habitat • heard more than seen • Year round breeding in Illinois

17. Red-tailed Hawk • Can be found year round in open fields near woodlands • interlock talons and dive at each other during courtship • Its call is taken as the call of an eagle but its not

19. Rough-legged Hawk • Nests in the artic

21. Bald Eagle These birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Nest in United States and Canada and migrate mainly to illinois during winter Takes about five years for them to acquire the pure white head and tail feathers The nests are called eyries and are mostly a collection of sticks Live longer in captivity, up to 50 years

23. Golden Eagle • Merica • Freaking huge • Get their name from their golden mullet • Seen mainly alone or in pairs compared to the bald eagle which likes to be in groups

25. Peregrine Falcon • Do not make nests but use cliff cavities • May be able to fly at over 200 mph :O possibly fastest animal on earth

27. American Kestrel • Smallest falcon in Illinois about the size of a cardinal • Male is slate blue-gray wings and less streaking while female has reddish brown wings and is heavily streaked and larger than the male

29. Turkey Vulture • Their feet look more like a turkey than a hawk • Scavenger • Basically mute besides wheezes, hisses , and snorts

31. Barn Owl • Doesn’t need to see to catch food in total darkness • They hiss rather than hoot

33. Barred Owl • Made mostly of feathers but are almost the size of the great horned owl • Referred to as the hoot owl

35. Eastern Screech Owl • Birds that reside in the same tree ambush them if one of their family members become prey to the screech • Only find this by the males whinny noise

37. Great Horned Owl • Prey on insects, birds, and small mammals (AKA Ms. Lawson’s dogs) • They get it on early December, female take dominate role, lay eggs in February to early March

39. Long-Eared Owl • Winter visitors • Declined due to habitat loss used to be on Illinois State endangered species list

41. Northern Saw Whet Owl • Named because of its shrill, raspy noise that resembles a saw being sharpened on a whetstone • Can be tame, meaning you can get close to them without them fleeing • The size of a pop can

43. Short-eared Owl • Equipped to survive on the prairie • This owl is endangered due to habitat loss

45. Snowy Owl • This is Harry Potter’s favorite bird • One of the few dinural owls, which hunt during the day