How we can help: understand the importance of tundra region & protect it. Burrowing Owl

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Jordan Evans
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1 Snowy Owl A diurnal Arctic owl, the largest (by weight) in No. America. A distinctive white owl, w. bars or speckles. Females and juveniles are more heavily marked than males - adult males may be almost pure white. Live in Arctic tundra or open grasslands and fields; rarely venture into forested areas Most hunting is done in the "sit and wait" style. Prey are captured on the ground, in the air, or snatched off the surface of water bodies.. Mainly eats lemmings and voles in Arctic and wintering range. Will eat many small mammals and birds when former are scarce. Have been known to raid traplines. Nest on ground; little breeding site-faithfulness between years or mates in some areas, but in other areas, a pair of owls may nest in the same spot for several years. During periods of lemming and vole population crashes in the Arctic, or excessive cold and snow, mass movements of Snowy Owls occur into so. Canada and no. U.S. How we can help: understand the importance of tundra region & protect it. Burrowing Owl Diurnal ground-dwelling owl that nests & finds protection in existing burrows. Lives in western U.S. in open, low-grass fields near rodent-dug cavities. Very vocal; many calls. Variety of prey, changing food habits with location and time of year: beetles, grasshoppers, small mammals, especially mice, rats, gophers, ground squirrels, reptiles and amphibians, scorpions, young cottontail rabbits, bats, birds. They chase down grasshoppers and beetles on the ground, use their talons to catch large insects in the air, or hover in mid-air before swooping down on prey. They also watch from perches, then glide silently toward their target. Will collect balls of dung to put near burrow; this attracts dung beetles, which they prey on. Can make rattlesnake-like sound to deter predators from burrow. Often nest in loose colonies about 100 yards apart. How we can help: protect habitat; avoid pesticides, which are transferred from insect to owl.

2 Saw-Whet Owl Named for call during breeding season; sounds like file rasping on saw blade (scree-ah, scree-ah). Or: French for small owl is chouette Does continuous toot. Lives up to 17 years in captivity. Small w. lg. head; appear larger in flight due to broad wings. When threatened, will elongate, to appear like branch. Perches (motionless during day). Eats mice (sometimes killing many at once w/o eating); caches; in winter will brood to thaw). When mice are plentiful might eat only head of each. Other small mammals & birds. Pellets ejected w. difficulty. Live in dense forests (like woodpecker nests), usu. nr. water, (wooded swamps). Nomadic (so prob. not same nest or mate) & highly migratory. Tolerates human presence more than most. Reputation for bringing good luck. Western Screech Owl A small owl, one of the west s more common owls at lower elevations. (They don t screech; they make a quick series of hoots.) Hunts in open woodlands, along the edges of open fields or wetlands, or makes short flights into open fields, searching for prey mainly while in flight, rather than from a perch. Wide range of prey: mostly small rodents and larger insects, or small birds. When threatened, this owl stretches its body and tightens its feathers to look like a branch. Monogamous; do much allo-preening (grooming one another). Nest almost exclusively in tree cavities, in deciduous trees, but also in large cacti, Douglas fir snags, and juniper. Life span to 13 years.

3 California Quail California state bird. Ground-dwelling, live in large flocks (called coveys). Became state bird in Male s crown feather is larger. Live so. Oregon So. Calif., into Nevada. 6 species in west. U.S., grasslands, woodlands, edge of desert. Like lots of brush. Eats seeds, buds, insects. Feed in flocks in early morning, late afternoon. Pick up grit for grinding in gizzard. Live in coveys of 10 to 200. Roost in trees to avoid danger. Nest is scrape in ground, lined w. grass. May use roadrunner nests. Precocial. Can fly short distance by 10 days, but best escape is by running. Stay on ground for 1 month, then roost in trees or shrubs. Two hens may use same nest. Males are strong caretakers. Males monogamous, female may leave when chicks are 2 weeks old (male will care for them) In 1880s 90s, were shot by the millions. How to help: protect habitat, keep cats inside Northern Flicker Large, brown woodpecker. Can climb trees like other woodpeckers, but prefers to find food on the ground. Ants are its main food, and the flicker digs in the dirt to find them. It uses its long barbed tongue to lap up the ants. One of the few North American woodpeckers that is strongly migratory. Live in woodlands, forest edges, and open fields with scattered trees, as well as city parks and suburbs. Also in wet areas such as streamside woods, flooded swamps, and marsh edges. Eat mainly insects, especially ants and beetles from the ground. Often go after ants underground (where the nutritious larvae live), hammering at the soil the way other woodpeckers drill into wood. Even break into cow patties to eat insects inside. Also eat berries and seeds, especially in winter, including poison oak and ivy, and various berries. Usually excavate nest holes in dead or diseased tree trunks or large branches. Unlike many woodpeckers, flickers often reuse cavities that they or another species excavated in a previous year.

4 Mallard Most common duck in North America; dabbles (tips up) to eat from ponds Can live into their 20s. Male has green head except in summer, when molts & Is drab (& flightless). Strong pectoral muscles; can get airborne from the water. Omnivore: 90% vegetarian, seeds, pondweeds; mosquito larvae, snails, insects, small fis Dabbles (tips up) (vs. diving). Sucks up small animals from mud; bill has filter. Mainly freshwater; can dive in an emergency but rarely does. Annually monogamous pairs. Female incubates. Ducklings bond to mom s voice (dad is gone before hatching). As soon as ducklings are dry, mom leads them to nearest water; may be a long & hazardous journey. Don t give bread; no nutrition for them; leftover rots in water, causing botulism for ducks & other animals, & can impact in crop (instead give insects, cracked corn, duck mash. Fee on land so extra doesn t rot.) Better yet, don t feed at all. Can overpopulate; won t migrate if is food source, too many cause water pollution, & wetlands can t get rid of waste if ducks never leave. Polluted water will kills fish (& their predators). Depend on people in summer can mean starving in winter. How we can help: don t feed; let them eat natural food. Especially don t feed bread. Green Heron Small heron of swampy areas; uses bait to attract prey. Much smaller than great blue heron, only 1 1½ tall. Lives along Pacific coastline and throughout eastern U.S. Forages in swamps, along streams, in marshes, ponds, lake edges, salt marshes, ponds and pastures. Eats small fish, invertebrates, insects, frogs, and other small animals. Stands still next to water and grabs small fish with explosive dart of head and neck. One of the few tool-using birds. Commonly drops bait onto the surface of the water and grabs the small fish that are attracted. Uses a variety of baits and lures, including insects, earthworms, twigs, or feathers. Breeds in swampy thickets. Nest a basket of sticks, placed in small tree or shrub, usually over water. Nests in small, loose colonies How we can help: don t put anything down storm drains, which flows to rivers & ocean.

5 Western Scrub Jay An intelligent, bold bird; an omnivore, important in establishing oak woodlands. Sexes similar, female duller. Pair is social unit. Not a blue jay; they live in East. Corvid family (w. magpies, crows, ravens). Lives in brushy areas; ground feeder but arboreal too. Omnivore. Eats insects, acorns, fruit, sm. reptiles, eggs, nestlings. Alert, intelligent, bold, quarrelsome, playful. Beak is tool to hide food. Buries shiny objects. Important in establishing oak woodlands because some of the acorns that they cache aren t found. May attack predators and flee. How we can help: protect woodland habitats; avoid pesticides Belted Kingfisher A hunting bird of clear, shallow water areas. Burrows into bank for nesting. Lives near rivers, ponds, lakes, or calm marine waters where prey is clearly visible. Eats fish, crabs, crayfish, salamanders, lizards, mice, and insects. Across No. America except above 9000 ft in the Rockies, & deserts and central grasslands. Winters in Aleutian islands and along the coast of B. C. Solitary except during breeding season. Male & female have blue-gray belly stripe; females have second reddish stripe. Typically eat fish that inhabit shallow water or swim near the surface. Need clear water & unobstructed view. Detect prey from overhead perch or by hovering over water s surface. With eyes closed, dives and grabs prey. Usually does not totally submerge. Fish are generally < 4. After capturing a fish, the bird flies to perch where it pounds the fish against the perch to stun it and turn it so the fish can be swallowed head first. Nests are subterranean burrows, 3-7 long, located in earthen banks with no vegetation, usually near water. Nest chamber at the end of burrow is often lined with clean, white fish bones and scales. Both sexes excavate the nest; may reuse it. Both aggressively defend breeding territory. How we can help: Don t dump anything into storm drains

6 California Gull Ground-nesting carnivore and scavenger; eat crabs, small fish, small rodents insects, eggs, and garbage. Have unhinging jaws that allow them to consume large prey. Typically stay near coast or inland; rarely venture far out to sea. Nest in large, densely packed noisy colonies (most gulls in California come from a rookery on an island in the middle of Mono Lake, near Nevada);. Both incubate; nests composed of vegetation. The young are precocial, but mature at 4 years. Don t get yellow bill & red dot on lower bill until 3 rd year. Resourceful, inquisitive and intelligent, w. complex methods of communication and highly developed social structure, such as demonstrated in mobbing. Some use tools, such as bait for goldfish. American Crow A commonly seen member of the corvid family; often found in groups Member of corvid family (w. ravens, magpies, jays). Resemble ravens, but ravens are large, more solitary, not as vocal. (Crows have fan-shaped tail, ravens have wedgeshaped.) Like other corvids, is highly intelligent; can solve problems, use tools. Lives throughout North America. Likes open ground for feeding, scattered trees for roosting and nesting. Omnivore. Eats seeds, worms, insects, carrion, garbage, amphibians, reptiles, mice, fruit, bird eggs and nestlings. Forages mostly on ground. Pecks from surface and digs through litter. Caches food for later use. Congregate in large numbers in winter to sleep in communal roosts, from a few hundred to two million crows. Some roosts have been in the same area for over 100 years. In last few decades some roosts have moved into urban areas where the noise and mess cause conflicts with people. Mate for life. Nests high in trees, 3 6 eggs. Families may include up to 15 individuals and contain young from five different years. Live apx. 12 years. In some areas, during much of the year, individuals leave year-round family territory to join large flocks foraging at dumps and agric. fields. May spend part of the day at home with its family in town and the rest with a flock feeding on waste grain out in the country.

7 Peregrine Falcon Fastest falcon in a stoop (dive); made great comeback from DDT crisis. Peregrine means wanderer; young can travel thousands of miles before settling on home territory. Found everywhere but Antarctic. Migrates Arctic to S. Amer. Lives in urban (bridges & bldgs.) areas all over N. Amer. (& on every continent) Tall cliffs & ledges nr. open habitats, usually near water. Eats birds taken in flight (different choices, depending on age and sex of falcon, but espec. pigeons & shore birds). Fly up to 230 mph in stoop (dive), 70 mph straight (fast as cheetah). Most prey killed by balled-up foot, often coming w. sun at back. Or just stun, then kill with tomial notch ( tooth on the beak). Duck hawk : can carry 3-lb duck. Solitary, but some pair hunting. Spectacular courtship display. Almost wiped out by DDT (egg shell thinning) but coming back. Cool fact: Cone in jet engines copied from peregrine nares; (enabled air flow at high speed) How we can help: remember the harm of DDT and find alternatives to pesticides. Loggerhead Shrike The only predatory songbird. Also called butcherbird for habit of hanging dead prey (lizards, mice, etc.) on thorns or barbs. Lives in So. U.S.; thick vegetation or open country w. perches & good visibility Eats: large insects, lizards, small birds and rodents. Only predatory songbird (also called butcherbird. ). Eyesight equals birds of prey. Establishes definite territory; maintains watching posts. Solitary except in mating season. Stun or kill with a blow from powerful bill. Has tomial notch on beak to dislocate vertebrae; then impale prey on thorns or other pointed objects so can tear apart or save for later. (feet are weak, so can t hold as it eats). Eat immediately. Begin impaling at 20 days of age. Amazing memory for placement of food. Migratory. When not breeding, sexes have separate territories. Both sexes build nest, usually near trunk. 4-8 eggs; gestation days, both incubate, fledge at 20 days. Predators: man (pesticides). Magpies prey on eggs & young. How we can help: Avoid pesticides, which are transferred from shrike s prey to the bird itself.

8 A Few More Raptors Cooper s Hawk & Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Often mistaken for one another. Cooper s is slightly larger and more aggressive than a Sharpie. Both are accipiters (long-tailed, blunter-winged hawks), among the bird world s most skillful fliers, capture prey (small mammals, but usually other birds) from cover or while flying quickly through dense vegetation, relying largely on surprise. Common in woodlands. Capture many birds from backyard feeders. White-Tailed Kite (formerly Black-Shouldered Kite). Can hover or kite in the air & soar & glide like a gull. Sometimes called the Angel hawk for its white feathers and the appearance of floating in the air. a delicate and graceful bird of prey, and the only falcon-like bird in California to have a white tail. In grasslands, open country. 80% hunting success rate: rodents, particularly voles, mice, insects, and lizards. Common around Mt. Diablo. Northern Harrier. Hawk of grassland and marshes; flies slowly low above the ground, hunting small rodents. Facial disk (like owls), hunts partly by hearing. One of few raptors where sexes look different: male is white below with a light gray back; female (a ground nester) is mottled in browns. Two Songbirds American Robin: Truly the early bird. First to nest in the spring, first to sing in the morning. In the thrush family. Named after European Robin for its red-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related; the European robin belongs to the flycatcher family. Common across the U.S. in every habitat. Industrious and bold, often forage in lawns, picking up earthworms by sight; its running and stopping behavior is a distinguishing characteristic. It hunts visually, not by hearing. In fall and winter form large flocks and gather in trees to roost or eat berries. Eat invertebrates (beetle grubs and caterpillars), fruits and berries. One of the earliest bird species to lay eggs, and is considered one of the first signs of spring. Complex and almost continuous song; among the first songbirds singing in the morning, and last as evening sets in. Tanager. Omnivore: eat fruits, seeds, nectar, flower parts and insects, especially in breeding season. Many pick insects off branches or catch them in the air. Many tanager species inhabit the same areas, but diet specializations alleviate competition. Western tanager has red pigment that comes from eating certain plants.

9 Ring-Necked Pheasant Native to Asia, introduced to U.S. in 1850s. Live in plains states: woodland, farmland, scrub and wetlands. In its natural habitat, lives in grassland near water with small groups of trees. Gregarious; outside the breeding season form loose flocks. Most-hunted bird; wherever they are hunted they are always timid once they associate humans with danger, and will quickly retreat for safety after hearing the arrival of hunting parties in the area. Can fly short distances but they prefer to run. If startled however, they can suddenly burst upwards at great speed, with a distinctive "whirring" wing sound. Feed solely on the ground but roost in sheltered trees at night. Omnivores with diet varying by season. In winter, mostly seeds, grains, roots, and berries; summer: insects, fresh green shoots, spiders, earthworms, snails. While laying eggs, females eat many high-calcium snail shells. Nest in ground in tall weeds or grass; females incubate eggs, and the precocial young leave the nest and feed themselves shortly after they hatch. Great Blue Heron Largest No. American heron; wading bird of salt or fresh water. Common all over N. and Cent. America, except in deserts & high mountains where there is no water for wading. Up to 4 tall. Usually crepuscular. It feeds in shallow water or at the water's edge and spears fish or frogs with its long, sharp bill. Also eats insects, snakes, turtles, rodents & small birds. It will also raid goldfish ponds in back yards. Hunt alone but roost and breed in colonies. Build a large nest of sticks in treetops or low bushes, among the rocks or even on the ground in nests built of sagebrush. Both parents feed the young at the nest by regurgitating food. Necks retain a curved S shape in flight, (which best distinguishes them from cranes). Lives up to 15 (or more) years. How we can help: don t put anything down storm drains, which flows to rivers & ocean.

10 A Few Local Shorebirds Avocet: long, thin, upturned bill. Feeding behavior is distinctive: Darting forward and sweeping its bill in a sideways motion through the water, sometimes putting whole head under. Dowitcher: These medium-sized sandpipers stick together in tight flocks while feeding; forage for mollusks, crustaceans, and marine worms by probing deeply into the mud in a methodic sewing-machine-stitch rhythm. Killdeer: famous for its flamboyant distraction display as it performs the broken-wing act to divert a potential predator s attention away from its eggs or young. When danger is detected, tiny hatchling killdeer freeze while a parent flops about dramatically feigning an injury. Often live far from water; nest in shallow depression in ground. Black-necked stilt: Wades in tidal waters up to six or more inches deep; uses needle-like bill to peck and probe with great precision, capturing a variety of small crustaceans. In proportion to its body size, it has the longest legs of any North American shorebird. Clapper rail: chicken-sized bird with a short tail, twitches as it moves. Lives in saltmarsh; stealthy and secretive as it slips through dense thickets of grasses. Clappers have been documented providing aerial transport for their young to remove them from danger. A Few Local Shorebirds II Long-billed curlew: The largest shorebird in No. Amer., has a bill almost half as long as its body. 7 bill is curved downward, designed for extracting large insects from prairie grasslands and crabs, mollusks, worms, and crayfish from mudflats and marshes; able to reach prey unavailable to other shorebirds. Like other probing shorebirds, the bill tip can differentiate between the feel of a pebble and the neck of a clam. Sandpipers: Western and least sandpipers, as well as other small sandpiper species, are collectively known to birders as peeps because of their tendency to vocalize in a series of peeping sounds as they forage. Dunlin: Form large, dense, exclusive flocks as they feed along bay shorelines. Form huge flocks during migration and are known to fly at speeds over 100mph. Sanderling: Most known for their feeding behavior on sandy beaches as tiny wave runners. Never overtaken by a wave, they dart after receding surf to catch prey in the rolling sand. Godwit: Versatile: eat grasshoppers from prairie grass or wade thigh-deep to plunge its bill deep into shoreline mud to capture mollusks, worms, and crustaceans. Foraging both day and night, often in large, loose flocks feeding with their heads completely submerged.

This Coloring Book has been adapted for the Wildlife of the Table Rocks

This Coloring Book has been adapted for the Wildlife of the Table Rocks All images and some writing belong to: Additional writing by: The Table Rocks Environmental Education Program I became the national