Endangered and Threatened Raptors of the United States

06-02-2008, 06:52 PM

Endangered and Threatened Raptors of the United States

Caracara (Polyborus plancus audubonii)

Taxonomy Kingdom Class Order Family
Animalia Aves Ciconiiformes Falconidae

General Information

The long neck, long yellow legs, and massive gray-blue bill of the caracara make its appearance unique among the raptors. About 58 cm in length, the crested caracara has a white head and throat, white wing tips, and white tail contrasting with a dark body, red face, and signature black crest.

Current Listing Status: Threatened
Date Listed: Jul 6, 1987
Lead Region: Southeast Region (Region 4)
Where Listed: U.S.A. (FL)

States/US Territories in which the Audubon's crested caracara, FL pop. is known to occur: Florida

Audubon's crested caracara, Polyborus plancus audubonii, is a
large, boldly patterned hawk with a crest, naked face, heavy bill,
elongate neck, and unusually long legs. It has a length of about 20
to 25 inches (50-64 cm) and a wingspread of 48 inches (1.2 m). The
adult is dark brownish black on the crown, wings, lower back, and
upper abdomen. The lower part of the head, throat, lower abdomen, and
under tail coverts are white, sometimes tinged with yellowish; and the
breast and upper back are whitish, heavily barred with black. The
tail is white with narrow dark crossbars and a broad dark tip.
Prominent white patches are visible near the tips of the wings in
flight. Juveniles have a similar color pattern but are brownish and
buffy with the breast and upper back streaked instead of barred.
Subadults resemble adults but are duller. Adults have reddish-orange
facial skin and yellow legs. Juveniles have pinkish facial skin and
gray legs.

HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS
In Florida, the Audubon's crested caracara (Polyborus plancus
audubonii) is restricted mainly to open prairie regions in the center
of the State; its center of abundance is the great Kissimmee prairie
north of Lake Okeechobee. This prairie is a large, low, flat, grassy
plain, drained by the Kissimmee River and a few small streams. It is
dotted with numerous shallow ponds and sloughs, and especially near
the river there are many small hammocks of large live oaks and
cabbage palmetto. It requires cabbage palms for nesting.
Scattered all over the prairie are clumps of saw palmetto, a few
scrubby oaks, numerous solitary cabbage palmettos, and an occasional
small clump of cypress. The caracara is not a woodland bird and is
seldom seen in the pines and still more rarely in the cypress country.
The caracara is a bird of the open country. Dry prairies with
scattered cabbage palms and wetter areas constitute the typical
habitat although it also occurs in improved pasturelands and even in
relatively wooded areas with more limited stretches of grassland.
Audubon's crested caracara usually perches on a fence post, mound of
earth, or other exposed place. They often gather about
slaughterhouses to feed on what is thrown out.

They also feed on any dead mammal (large or small), bird, or reptile
that they can find. In addition, they hunt and kill many small
animals. Among their prey are: rabbits, skunks, prairie dogs,
opossums, rats, mice, squirrels, snakes, frogs, lizards, young
alligators, turtles, crabs, crayfish, fishes, young birds, beetles,
grasshoppers, maggots, and worms.
The caracara is highly opportunistic in its feeding habits,
eating carrion, capturing live prey, and harassing vultures until they
disgorge their meals. The diet includes insects and other
invertebrates, fish, snakes, turtles, birds, and mammals.

HOME RANGE/TERRITORY:
Little is known about home range or territory of this bird. Both
male and female build the nest, but apparently are not too agressive
in defending it. The male lookout is stationed conspicuously near the
nest, but flushes when an intruder is some distance away. Almost any
small bird would probably drive one away from the vicinity of its nest
(06). Pairs occupy a more or less exclusive home range, although
occasionally larger groups of individuals are encountered.

PERIODICITY:
Diurnal, active year round.

MIGRATION PATTERNS:
Being a semitropical bird, Audubon's crested caracara is resident
throughout the year over most of its range, including Florida.

COVER/SHELTER REQUIREMENTS:
Audubon's crested caracara usually perches on a fence post, dead
tree, mound of earth, or other exposed place. It requires cabbage
palms for nesting.

REPRODUCTIVE SITE REQUIREMENTS:
Nests are well concealed in the tops of cabbage palmettoes,
usually 12 to 55 feet above the ground (03,06). One, found 25 feet up
in a cabbage palmetto on the edge of a live oak hammock, was described
as being a bulky structure, loosely made of slender twigs, mainly the
fruiting cluster of the palmetto, and was lined with fine bits of the
same material. The nests are made of green tough bushes, broken
off by the birds, and sometimes briars, piled up in a heap and
trampled down until quite a decent hollow is made. Usually the nests
are unlined, but at times a few green leaves, or pieces of grape vines
are placed in the hollow. Consequently, eggs usually rest only upon a
crude mass of rough, dried stems of bushes.

REPRODUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS:
The female begins to lay eggs sometime in early
December. The height of the nesting season is, however, in January
and February, but even as late as April, nests with eggs may be found.
Two or three eggs, more often two and very rarely four, are
laid. Incubation lasts for about 28 days and is shared by both sexes.
Ordinarily only one brood is raised in a season, but, if the eggs are
taken, a second or even a third set may be laid.

PARENTAL CARE:
Young are fledged at about 8 weeks of age. Pairs associate year
round, and occupy a more or less exclusive home range. Occasionally
larger groups of individuals are encountered.
One female remained on the nest until approached to within 4 feet, when she flew
to a stub about 12 feet away and watched. The male soon joined her
and they together uttered rasping, cackling noises with their heads
bent back upon their backs.
A.C. Bent wrote, "Almost any
small bird would probably drive one away from the vicinity of its
nest, or at least attempt to do so."

POPULATION BIOLOGY:
One bird was kept in captivity for at least 12 years.
Primary limiting factor appears to be loss of native prairie habitat
due to agricultural and residential development.
It is believed that caracaras might have a high recovery potential since
they are rather generalized falconids, and likely to be adaptable to
changes in habitat through proper, human-assisted acclimatization.

OTHER LIFE HISTORY DESCRIPTORS:
The caracara's pose, in flight is much like that of the bald
eagle, having a much longer neck and tail, and a slenderer form than
most other hawks. Its color pattern is also distinctive, especially
the head markings; the large white patches in the primaries, and the
white tail, broadly tipped with black, are both very conspicuous in
flight and can be recognized at a long distance.
The caracara habitually rests perching, usually in the very top
of a high tree or on some steep hillock. Often in the morning, or
before sundown, it throws back its head until it almost touches its
shoulders and gives a high, cackling cry which resembles its Brazilian
name of "caracara". Its flight is strong and graceful, often
performed in large circles at great height.

The Link
http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/esis/lists/e104014.htm

06-02-2008, 07:05 PM

California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)

The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a North American species of bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae. Currently, this condor inhabits only the Grand Canyon area and western coastal mountains of California and northern Baja California. Although other fossil members are known, it is the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps.

It is a large, black vulture with patches of white on the underside of the wings and a largely bald head with skin color ranging from yellowish to a bright red, depending on the bird's mood. It has the largest wingspan of any bird found in North America and is one of the heaviest. The condor is a scavenger and eats large amounts of carrion. It is one of the world's longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 50 years.

Condor numbers dramatically declined in the 19th century due to poaching, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction. Eventually, a conservation plan was put in place by the United States government that led to the capture of all the remaining wild condors in 1987. These 22 birds were bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. Numbers rose through captive breeding and, beginning in 1991, condors have been reintroduced into the wild. The project is the most expensive species conservation project ever undertaken in the United States. The California Condor is one of the world's rarest bird species. As of April 2008, there are 299 condors known to be living, including 147 in the wild.

The exact taxonomic placement of the California Condor and the remaining six species of New World vultures remains unclear.[6] Though both are similar in appearance and have similar ecological roles, the New World and Old World vultures evolved from different ancestors in different parts of the world. Just how different the two are is currently under debate, with some earlier authorities suggesting that the New World vultures are more closely related to storks.[7] More recent authorities maintain their overall position in the order Falconiformes along with the Old World vultures[8] or place them in their own order, Cathartiformes.[9] The South American Classification Committee has removed the New World vultures from Ciconiiformes and instead placed them in Incertae sedis, but notes that a move to Falconiformes or Cathartiformes is possible.

Today's California Condor is the sole surviving member of Gymnogyps and has no accepted subspecies; although its range greatly contracted during the Holocene, the species always had a small and inbred population. However, there is a Late Pleistocene palaeosubspecies, Gymnogyps californianus amplus, which occurred over much of the bird's historical range – even extending into Florida – but was larger, having about the same weight as the Andean Condor. This bird also had a wider bill.[11] As the climate changed during the last ice age, the entire population became smaller until it had evolved into the Gymnogyps californianus californianus of today.

Diet
Wild condors inhabit large territories, often traveling 250 kilometers (150 mi) a day in search of carrion.[25] It is thought that in the early days of its existence as a species, the California Condor lived off of the carcasses of the "megafauna", which are now extinct in North America. They still prefer to feast on large, terrestrial mammalian carcasses such as deer, goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, pigs, mountain lions, bears, or cattle. Alternatively, they may feed on the bodies of smaller mammals, such as rabbits or coyotes, aquatic mammals such as whales and sea lions, or salmon. Bird and reptile carcasses are rarely eaten. Since they do not have a sense of smell,[26] they spot these corpses by looking for other scavengers, like smaller vultures and eagles, who cannot rip through the tougher hides of these larger animals with the efficiency of the larger condor. They can usually intimidate other scavengers away from the carcass, with the exception of bears, which will ignore them, and Golden Eagles, which will fight a condor over a kill or a carcass.[14] In the wild they are intermittent eaters, often going for between a few days to two weeks without eating,[25] then gorging themselves on 1–1.5 kilograms (2–3 lb) of meat at once, sometimes to the point of being unable to lift themselves off the ground.

Reproduction
Adult Condors begin to look for a mate when they reach sexual maturity at the age of six.[21] To attract a prospective mate, the male condor performs a display. In the display, the male turns his head red and puffs out his neck feathers. He then spreads his wings and slowly approaches the female. If the female lowers her head to accept the male, the condors become mates for life.[24] The pair makes a simple nest in caves or on cliff clefts, especially ones with nearby roosting trees and open spaces for landing. A mated female lays one bluish-white egg every other February or March. The egg weighs about 280 grams (10 oz) and measures from 90–120 millimeters (3½–4¾ in) in length and about 67 millimeters (2⅝ in) in width. If the chick or egg is lost or removed, the parents "double clutch", or lay another egg to take the lost one's place. Researchers and breeders take advantage of this behavior to double the reproductive rate by taking the first egg away for hand-rearing; this induces the parents to lay a second egg, which the condors are sometimes allowed to raise.[28]

The eggs hatch after 53 to 60 days of incubation by both parents. Chicks are born with their eyes open and sometimes can take up to a week to hatch from their egg.[15] The young are covered with a grayish down until they are almost as large as their parents. They are able to fly after five to six months, but continue to roost and hunt with their parents until they turn two, at which point they are displaced by a new clutch.

As the number of condors grew, attention began to focus on releasing some back into the wild. In 1988, the US Fish and Wildlife Service began a reintroduction experiment involving the release of captive Andean Condors into the wild in California. Only females were released, to eliminate the possibility of accidentally introducing a South American species into the United States. The experiment was a success, and all the Andean Condors were recaptured and re-released in South America.[21] California Condors were released in 1991 and 1992 in California, and again in 1996 in Arizona near the Grand Canyon.[1] Though the birth rate remains low in the wild, their numbers are increasing steadily through regular releases of captive-reared adolescents.
Unanticipated deaths among these populations occurred due to contact with Golden Eagles, power lines, and other factors such as lead poisoning. Since 1994, captive-bred California Condors have been trained to avoid power lines and people. Since the implementation of this aversion conditioning program, the number of condor deaths due to power lines has greatly decreased.[40] Lead poisoning due to fragmented lead bullets in large game waste is a particularly big problem for condors due to their extremely strong digestive juices;[41] this lead waste is not as much of a problem for other avian scavengers such as the Turkey Vulture and Common Raven. This problem has been addressed in California by the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, a bill that goes into effect January 1, 2008 that requires that hunters use non-lead bullets when hunting in the condor's range.

The Link.
California Condor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

06-02-2008, 07:19 PM

Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis)

The Aplomado Falcon is a bird of open country such as savanna and cerrado and is found from Central America throughout South America to Tierra del Fuego. In the northern and southern extremes of its range it is migratory and it is only seasonally present in Central America and Patagonia.

The overall population may be increasing as deforestation opens up new potential habitat.
Aplomado Falcon, Emas, Goiás, Brazil, April 2001 - click for larger image Its pale supercilium extends behind the eye while its whitish throat and cheeks are separated by a dark malar stripe. There is a dark band across the belly and its thighs and lower underparts are rufous. The cere and legs are yellow.

In flight it shows a long tail for a falcon. This is blackish with five off-white bands and a white tip. In the fourth photo you can just make out the indicative white trailing edge to the wing.
Aplomado Falcon, Emas, Goiás, Brazil, April 2001 - click for larger image Insects and birds form a large part of its diet and it normally spots its prey from a perch above the grasslands as in photos two and three. We normally saw pairs of Aplomado Falcons and they are reported to hunt in tandem with one bird flushing the prey while the other goes for the kill.

This Raptor is very slender, long-winged, and long-tailed, the size of a small Peregrine Falcon (length of 30–40 cm or 12–16 inches, average wingspan of about 90 cm or 36 in) but only half the weight (250–475 g or 9–17 oz). This resemblance in shape to the hobbies accounts for the former name Orange-chested Hobby. "Aplomado" is an unusual Spanish word for "lead-colored", referring to the blue-gray areas of the plumage. Spanish names for the species include Halcón fajado and Halcón aplomado.

Range, history, status

It ranges from northern Mexico and Trinidad locally to southern South America, but has been extirpated from much of its range, including northern and central Mexico except for a small area of Chihuahua. Until the 1950s it was found in the extreme southwestern United States, and reintroduction efforts are under way in West and South Texas. It may be returning naturally to southern New Mexico, as it was seen there every year from 2000 to 2005 and bred successfully in 2002[2]. Expansion of the reintroduction program to that area has met with criticism, because technically, all Aplomado Falcons in New Mexico are now classified as part of an "experimental" (reintroduction) population.

Status

As such, while they are still legally protected from hunting, they are not protected by Endangered Species Act requirements to preserve habitat and the like. It is believed that mainly habitat destruction caused the species' (near-)disappearance from the US and hinders reestablishment of a wild breeding population; thus, a coalition of environmental groups is attempting to have full protection restored so as not to jeopardize the success of the expanding wild population and the reintroduction efforts

The Link.
Aplomado Falcon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Current Listing Status: Endangered
Date Listed: Feb 25, 1986
Lead Region: Southwest Region (Region 2)

States/US Territories in which the Northern aplomado falcon is known to occur: Texas

USFWS Refuges in which the Northern aplomado falcon is known to occur: LAGUNA ATASCOSA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, SANTA ANA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Countries in which the Northern aplomado falcon is known to occur: Guatemala, Mexico

The Link.
Species Profile

Threats and Reasons for Decline

The Northern Aplomado Falcon was most commonly observed and collected in its U.S. range during the period 1870-1930. The falcon seemingly disappeared in the U.S. after the 1930s for reasons that largely remain a mystery. It is noteworthy to consider that the Aplomado Falcon was at the northern limits of its continental range in southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and western and southern Texas; and, therefore, possibly vulnerable to small changes in habitat quality in this region.

Severe overgrazing by domestic livestock and resultant brush encroachment in the Southwest, including Texas, has been most frequently implicated as the principal cause for the species' decline. Direct adverse effects of livestock grazing on potential falcon prey species have also been suggested as a possible cause. However, a recent review of the history of livestock trends and practices and other ecological factors in the Southwest in relation to the decline of Aplomados suggests different causes.

In the late-1800s, large numbers of cattle were introduced onto Southwest grasslands occupied by Aplomados and their numbers remained high through the 1920s. Decades of overstocking had degraded desert grasslands by the 1920s. Recognition of this led to reductions in cattle numbers by the late-1920s and 1930s, particularly after passage of the Taylor Grazing Act in 1934. However, cattle stocking rates may have remained comparatively high in western and southern Texas well into the late- 1900s, since these ranges were mostly in private ownership and not subject to regulation by the federal act. At least at some Arizona and New Mexico sites where Aplomados occurred, brush did not extensively invade into grasslands until after the 1940s

There is some evidence from early naturalists to support the notion that prairie dogs greatly expanded in the Southwest after the introduction of large cattle herds. Widespread and intensive grazing by cattle may have stimulated such an expansion, since prairie dogs require low-stature grassland habitats. Regardless of the cause, prairie dog numbers and acreages occupied were extremely high during the late-1800s through about 1920. A U.S. government campaign to control prairie dogs on publicly-owned lands in Arizona and New Mexico by use of strychnine poison began in 1912, and a similar state effort was initiated in Texas in 1915. Prairie dogs were substantially reduced through poisoning by the 1920s, their decline peaked in the 1930s, and they were virtually eliminated from southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico by the 1940s and 1950s, respectively. This pattern of decline was probably mirrored in western Texas, except that prairie dogs were never completely eradicated and some populations have persisted there through the present time.

Historic ranges of the blacktailed prairie dog and the Northern Aplomado Falcon in the Southwest, to include western Texas (prairie dogs never occurred during historic time in southern Texas), matched closely. This has led to speculation that habitat conditions generated by prairie dogs may have benefited Aplomado Falcons. It is reasoned that overall abundance, biomass, and catchability of avian and small mammal prey were greater inside prairie dog towns than in the surrounding grasslands. At least some potentially important avian prey species, such as meadowlarks, some plovers, Mourning Dove, Horned Lark, and others, seem to respond positively to grazing. Others, like the Borrowing Owl, are directly dependent on prairie dog borrows and other prairie dog habitat features for optimal nesting and rearing of young. Insects, reptiles, birds, and small mammals that used prairie dog colonies were probably easier to detect and catch by Aplomados than in surrounding grasslands, where herbaceous vegetation was denser and higher. In similar ways, cattle grazing may have provided short-term benefits to Aplomados.

The natural coincidence of Aplomado and prairie dog distributions in the Southwest (outside southern Texas) and their simultaneous declines suggest that these events may have been related. Prairie dogs were eradicated by strychnine poisoning. This method of control was nonselective and undoubtedly killed other wildlife in the vicinity of dog towns. Aplomado Falcons could have been adversely affected by feeding on poisoned birds and mammals through relay toxicity. Relay toxicity also could have killed other raptors and ravens that provided nest platforms for Aplomados.

It appears that a majority of historic encounters with Aplomado Falcons and high numbers and acreage of black-tailed prairie dogs coincided with historically high livestock stocking rates on Southwest grasslands (all between 1870 and 1920). Aplomado falcons and blacktailed prairie dogs, with overlapping distributions, disappeared from the Southwest landscape in the 1930s. Although, it is clear that prairie dogs were intentionally eradicated, causes of the Aplomados disappearance remain obscure. In Arizona and New Mexico, large scale mesquite and other shrub invasion into grasslands appears to have occurred after the demise of the falcon.

The Link.
Northern Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis)

06-02-2008, 07:36 PM

Hawaiian Hawk (Buteo solitarius)

The Hawaiian Hawk or 'Io, Buteo solitarius, is a raptor of the Buteo genus endemic to Hawai'i. Buteos tend to be easily recognized by their bulky bodies relative to their overall length and wingspan. The 'Io is the only hawk that is native to Hawaii, where they are only known to breed on the Big Island in stands of native `ohi'a lehua trees. The species is protected as Endangered in the United States. However, the IUCN classifies the species as Near Threatened.

This solitary hawk remains in and defends its territories year round. They nest from March through September, and usually lay only one egg but sometimes they could lay up to three in their clutch. The female does the majority of sitting during the 38 days of incubation, while the male does the majority of the hunting. After the egg is hatched, the female only allows the male to visit when delivering food to the nest. The chick fledges at seven or eight weeks. Fifty to seventy percent of the nest successfully fledge young.

The 'Io usually hunts from a stationary position, but can also dive on prey from the air. It feeds on rats, small birds, stream animals, crickets, preying mantises, millipedes, centipedes, and occasionally the worm. It will also feed on the Hawaiian Crow, another one of Hawaii's endangered birds. They are opportunistic predators and are versatile in their feeding habits. They have a shrill and high-pitched call much like their Hawaiian name: "eeeh-oh." They are known to be very noisy during the breeding season. 'Io are strong fliers.

The Hawaiian hawk was a royal symbol in Hawaiian legend, and it is sometimes called “'Iolani,” or “Exalted Hawk” was the name of Kamehameha IV and the ʻIolani Palace.

The Link.
Hawaiian Hawk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Habitat & Behavior:
The `Io is endemic to Hawai`i and was a symbol of royalty in Hawaiian legend. The `Io is also the only hawk native to Hawai`i. They only breed on the Big Island but have been occasionally seen on Maui, O`ahu, and Kaua`i. Fossil records indicate that this hawk may also been established on Moloka`i and Kaua`i. They depend on native forest for nesting, but are able to use a broad range of habitats for foraging, including papaya and macadamia nut orchards, as well as forests dominated by native and introduced vegetation, from sea level to 6,500 feet elevation.

This mostly solitary hawk remains in and defends its territories year round. They nest from March through September, and usually lay only one egg. The female does the majority of sitting during the 38 days of incubation, while the male does the majority of the hunting. After the egg is hatched, the female only allows the male to visit when delivering food to the nest. The chick fledges at seven or eight weeks. Fifty to seventy percent of the nests successfully fledge young.

The `Io usually hunts from a stationary position, but can also dive on prey from the air. It feeds on rodents, insects, small birds, and some game birds. They are opportunistic predators and are versatile in their feeding habits. They have a shrill and high-pitched call much like their Hawaiian name: "eeeh-oh." They are known to be very noisy during the breading season. `Io are strong fliers.

The Link.
PI-Hawaiian Hawk

FOOD HABITS:
Because the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) was the only land
mammal native to Hawai'i, birds were probably the primary prey
available to Hawaiian hawks when they colonized the archipelago.
Absence of native land reptiles, amphibians, and freshwater fish
further restricted the potential diet of hawks. However, with the
arrival of Polynesian and European man, many other potential hawk prey
were introduced. Today, hawks utilize a wide variety of introduced
and native prey items, and they are very versatile and adaptable in
their feeding habits.
The known diet of the hawk includes 23 species of birds, 6
species of mammals, 7 species of insects/spiders, 1 species of
crustacean, and 1 species of amphibian).
The composition of the diet varied much between habitat types
where hawks nested. At low elevation nests located in forested and
agricultural areas, avian prey comprised a larger proportion of the
diet (measured as number of prey items delivered; mean=64%) than did
mammal prey. Mammals comprised a larger proportion at mid-elevation
nests (mean=84%) located in pasturelands. These differences in
proportions of avian and mammalian prey among nests may reflect the
relatively higher densities of mammals (especially mice) in
pastureland habitats at mid-elevations.
There were also differences between type of prey brought by male
and female hawks at low elevation nests in forested and agricultural
areas. Males at these nests consistently delivered a higher
proportion of avian prey than females. However, no differences in
selection of prey type were found between sexes at mid-elevation
pastureland nests where both sexes preyed primarily on rodents

PARENTAL CARE:
Hawks exhibit both inter- and intra-specific agonistic behavior
and nest defense. Intruders are chased from territories by resident
hawks, and breeding birds are very aggressive towards humans near
their nests. Nest building occurs long before egg laying and
continues into the nestling period. Prior to hatching, both sexes
bring material to nests with females and males making 64% and 36% of
trips, respectively. Nest building occurs throughout the day with
peak activity between 0700 and 1100 hours. Hawks line nest cups with
greenery. Male hawks assist females with incubation, and they provide
much of the food at nests through week 4 of the nestling period.
Females do all the feeding and brooding of young, and by week 5
females begin leaving young unattended for increasingly longer
periods. By fledging (week 9), nest attendance by females is very
short. Incubation lasted approximately 38 days. The nestling period
extended for 59 to 63 days. Adult hawks delivered prey to juveniles
25-37 weeks after fledging

The Link.
http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/esis/lists/e101007.htm

06-03-2008, 01:24 AM

Northern Pygmy Owl - (Glaucidium californicum)

Description: The Northern Pygmy Owl is a tiny, woodland, diurnal Owl that is most active between dawn and dusk. They have greyish or brownish or reddish (3 morphs) upperparts and light belly that is boldly streaked with brown. The head and nape are liberally sprinkled with whitish dots (more cinnamon or buff on red morph). On the nape are 2 distinctive, vertical black patches that resemble an extra pair of eyes. The relatively long tail is distinctly barred with 6 to 7 light stripes. Eyes are yellow, bill is yellowish-horn, and the toes are greyish-yellow.
Juveniles are similar to adults but with unspotted and greyer heads, and fluffy plumage.

Size: Average Length Female: 18.5 cm (7.3"), male: 16.5 cm (6.5")
Average Wingspan 38 cm (15")
Average Weight Female 73 g (2.6 oz), Male 62 g (2.2 oz).

Habits: Northern Pygmy Owls are very secretive and tend to perch and roost in thickets where it is safe from predators. At times, one will sit atop the highest spire of a tree. At rest, a Northern Pygmy Owl sits with its tail cocked away from vertical, and often twitches its tail when excited. A Northern Pygmy Owl's flight between perches is short and rapid - plummeting downwards as it leaves a perch before levelling off, and swooping up to the next. If the next perch is a tree, it will tend to land low, then moves up through the tree to a higher perch. Flight is relatively noisy for an owl, and resembles a shrike, with rapid wing beats and rounded wing tips.
Despite their small size, Northern Pygmy Owls are quite fierce, and will attack prey or drive off intruders several times their own size. When one of these owls is threatened, it will puff up its feathers and spread its tail to make itself look larger. When hiding, it tries to look thin, faces the danger, and closes its eyes into slits.

Voice: The primary call of the male is a series of repetitive, whistled hoots "too-too-too-too-too-too-too" at intervals of 1 to 2 seconds, although it is reported that this can vary from 0.5 seconds, all the way up to 4 seconds. This call is territorial in nature and is usually given in the early evening and before dawn, and may be heard year-round. The male gives a high whinnying sound when bringing food to his mate. The female calls much less often and it has a cackling quality. Other calls include an ascending staccato series of whistles. When excited, they may emit a high-pitched trill (8 notes/second).

Hunting & Food: Northern Pygmy Owls are "sit and wait" predators, that hunt mainly by vision, diving down onto prey on the ground and driving the talons into the prey's throat. they will also attack birds in shrubs, crashing into the hapless victims. Most prey is carried off in the feet to feeding sites. Birds are usually plucked before being consumed. They often eat only the brains of birds and the soft abdomen of insects! One of these little owls can carry prey weighing up to 3 times its own weight.
The Northern Pygmy Owl feeds on a wide range of small prey including small mammals, birds, and reptiles and amphibians. Voles make up the bulk of their diet, with birds comprising most of the rest (mainly songbirds, but as large as a California Quail). Other small mammals include shrews, mice, chipmunks, bats, moles, young rabbits, and weasels. Insects may be very important when they are most abundant. Other prey taken are toads, frogs and small lizards and snakes.

During winter, surplus prey is cached in a cavity, often in large quantities. These caches help small owls like these meet their metabolic needs during very cold winter periods. Summer caches are usually much smaller.
Pellets are very small, averaging about 3cm (1.2") long. They are formed only occasionally as these owls don't consume large amounts of fur, feathers, or bone. The pellets tend to fall apart shortly after ejection.

Breeding: Northern Pygmy Owls are unsociable birds, remaining solitary much of the year. During courtship both sexes call to each other with their mating trill. They also pass food to each other and snuggle closely.
Northern Pygmy Owls are almost entirely dependent on old woodpecker cavities for nest sites. They will also nest in natural tree cavities. Nest trees are usually dead and are usually coniferous in the boreal forest and deciduous in more southern areas. Nest cavities range from 3 to 23 metres (10 to 75 feet) above ground, averaging 6 to 7 meters (20 to 23 feet). Eggs are laid between April and June, with clutch size ranging from 3 to 7 (3 - 4 average; may increase from south to north). The female does the incubating and brooding while the male brings food and defends the nest. The incubation period is about 29 days. Unlike all other North American owls, The Northern Pygmy Owl begins incubation only after the clutch is complete, so that young tend to hatch over a period of 1 to 2 days, rather than one every 1 to 2 days. Young grow quickly, reaching 60% of adult size after 2 weeks. They fledge at about 30 days, when they are capable of flight. Fledglings are then fed and defended by their parents for a further 20 to 30 days. Family groups tend to break up in late Summer or Autumn. Northern Pygmy Owls are single-brooded. It is not known if replacement clutches are laid. Nest cavities may be used for several consecutive years by the same birds.
There is no information on territory size, but the similar Eurasian Pygmy Owl has territories from 200 to 1700 hectares (500 to 4200 acres), and the Northern Pygmy Owl likely has similar-sized territories.

Mortality: No information on longevity or mortality currently available. Potential predators of these owls are other owls, jays, crows, ravens, snakes, and weasels.

Habitat: Northern Pygmy Owls inhabit open coniferous and mixed forests from valley bottoms up to treeline. They do not inhabit dense, continuous forest. In all areas they use forest clearings for hunting - along the edges of meadows, fields, wetlands, and roadsides, and through old burns and logged areas. For roosting they prefer quiet, shady alder thickets. During the breeding season they inhabit open forests with a selection of snags with old woodpecker cavities.

Distribution: West North America, from British Columbia and southern Alaska south through the Rock Mountains to California and Arizona, and possibly also to the mountains far north Mexico.
Northern Pygmy Owls are essentially sedentary, except for altitudinal movements downslope in winter. Southward irruptions during winter may occur in years of food shortage.

The Link.
Northern Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium californicum - Information, Pictures, Sounds

06-03-2008, 01:25 AM

Northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina)

The northern spotted owl is dark-to-chestnut brown in color and sports round or oval white spots on its head, neck, back and under parts. Its flight feathers are also dark brown and barred with light brown or white. Unlike most owls, spotted owls have dark eyes. Although it is often considered to be a medium-sized owl, the northern spotted owl ranks among the largest in North America.

Height About 18 inches
Length About 18 inches (wingspan of around 48 inches)
Weight 1-2 lbs; males smaller than females
Lifespan May live as long as 10 years in the wild and 15-20 years in captivity
Diet

Staples Flying squirrels, wood rats, mice and other small rodents
Also known to eat birds, insects and reptiles
Population

As a result of declining habitat, there are fewer than 100 pairs of Northern spotted owls in British Columbia, Canada, 1,200 pairs in Oregon, 560 pairs in northern California and 500 pairs in the state of Washington.
Range

Northern spotted owls are typically found in old growth forests of northern California and the Pacific Northwest of the United States, as well as in southern parts of British Columbia, Canada.
Behavior

Northern spotted owls are very territorial and intolerant of habitat disturbance. They prefer old-growth forests with tree canopies that are high and open enough for the owls to fly between and underneath the trees. Preferred areas have large trees with broken tops, deformed limbs or large holes used as nesting sites. Each pair needs a large amount of land for hunting and nesting, and although they do not migrate, spotted owls may shift their ranges in response to seasonal changes, such as heavy snows, that make hunting difficult. Northern spotted owls have a distinct flight pattern, involving a series of rapid wingbeats interspersed with gliding flight. This allows them to glide silently down upon their prey

Reproduction
Mating Season February or March
Gestation About 1-2 months
Clutch size 2-3 eggs
The female incubates the eggs for 30 days. After hatching, the female sits with her offspring for 8 to 10 days, eating food brought by the male owl. The young fledge, or acquire the necessary feathers for flying, about 34-36 days after hatching.
Threats

The biggest threat to the Northern spotted owl is loss of old growth forest habitat as a result of logging and forest fragmentation. These threats are made even greater by natural disasters, such as fire, volcanic eruptions and wind storms.

These spotted owls are also affected by increasing barred owl populations. The range of barred owls has been expanding from the eastern United States into western Canada, the Pacific Northwest and northern California. Barred owls displace resident spotted owls and often breed with them, creating hybrids.
Legal Status/Protection

*Endangered Species Act, **CITES Appendix II

*The Endangered Species Act requires the US federal government to identify species threatened with extinction, identify habitat they need to survive, and help protect both. In doing so, the Act works to ensure the basic health of our natural ecosystems and protect the legacy of conservation we leave to our children and grandchildren.

**Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international treaty with 172 member countries. Appendix I listed species cannot be traded commercially. Appendix II listed species can be traded commercially only if it does not harm their survival.

The Link
Northern Spotted Owl - Defenders of Wildlife

06-03-2008, 01:25 AM

Everglade snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus)

General Information

The Everglade snail kite is a medium-sized hawk with a wingspan of about 45 inches, very similar to the marsh hawk but without wavering, tilting flight. The beak is slender and very hooked. The adult males are slate gray with black head and wing tips, a white patch at the base of a square tail, and red legs. The female has a buffy body, heavily streaked with dark lines, a white line above the eye, a white tail patch, yellow legs, and red eyes. The immatures resemble the females, only they are darker and their eyes are brown. The snail kite is uniquely adapted for a diet almost exclusively of freshwater apple snails (Pomacea paludosa). As of 1987, there were only five documented occurrences of Everglade snail kites preying on non-snail items. Exclusive utilization of the genus Pomacea is apparently because this is the only large Florida snail occurring near the surface. The kite extracts the snail from the shell by means of its greatly curved beak.

KINGDOM: Animal GROUP: Bird

PHYLUM: Chordata CLASS: Aves
ORDER: Falconiformes FAMILY: Accipitridae

Adult Everglade snail kites are sexually dimorphic, with females
slightly larger than males. The adult male is slate gray with black
wing tips. The square tail is black with a large white patch at its
base and a narrow white terminal band. The unfeathered soft parts of
the adult male are orange-red and become more intense during the
breeding season. The eyes of adults are red and those of immatures
are brown. Females and immature males are brown and buffy above with
the underparts white to buffy and heavily streaked with dark brown.
The tail pattern of the brown-plumaged birds is similar to that of the
adult male. The color of the soft parts of all females and immature
males ranges from yellow to orange (04). In the field, adult females
can not be distinguished from immature males except by eye color or
behavior during breeding

Kites in Florida, with a few rare exceptions, are completely
dependent upon the apple snail (Pomacea paludosa) for food.
Snails are available to kites only when the marsh is flooded.
Snails are captured while they are near the water surface
feeding, traversing, or while resting on aquatic vegetation below the
surface. Kites hunt over relatively open water areas, containing
minimal emergent aquatic vegetation. Kites hunt by two
methods; still-hunting (initiated from a convenient perch over water)
and course-hunting (on the wing).
The creation of water conservation areas (reservoirs) has been a
great secondary benefit to the kite population by flooding parts, or
all of the area for several years.
Lands surrounding snail kite habitat are used for such purposes
as urban residential areas, croplands (including mellons, rice, corn,
and other vegetables), pasture, and citrus groves. These uses have
directly replaced snail kite habitat and they continue to influence
the remaining kite habitat by affecting water quality within Lake
Okeechobee and surrounding marshes

REPRODUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS:
Nesting may occur in loose colonies or singularly.
Courtship display takes place any time during the day in the air or at
a perch. Aerial displays include undulating flight, slow flight,
grappling, tumbling, pendulum flight, and mutual soaring, and may
include carrying a stick in the bill and vocalization.
Courtship feeding and/or presentation of a stick to a female by the
male often takes place prior to copulation.
Breeding by snail kites generally takes place by the time the
birds are 3 to 4 years old but on occasion they may breed as young as
one year of age. Copulation takes place while perched, lasts
3 to 30 seconds per breeding attempt, and may occur from early stages
of nest construction through laying of eggs in a completed nest.
Clutch size ranges from 1 to 6 eggs with a mean of 2.92 (N=313
clutches). Both members of the pair share in incubation.
Incubation ranges from 24 to 30 days with a mean of 27.4 days and may
begin after the first egg is laid, but generally begins after the
second egg is deposited. The pair bond is probably for only one
nesting cycle. The beginning of breeding activities in Florida
varied from year to year. Some breeding activity has been recorded in
Florida every month, but not necessarily in the same year. Peak
egg laying months were February, March, and April with substantial
activity in January and May.

The Link
http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/esis/lists/e104011.htm

Informational Link.
http://library.thinkquest.org/25014/...ite/index.html

06-03-2008, 04:24 PM

Up in NC near Charlotte is a place called Carolina Raptor Center. they have alot of different species of raptors. Here is there website: Carolina Raptor Center - Birds of Prey Conservation, Rehabilitation, Education