Habitat Mural Guide Deciduous Forest Enlarge, color and cut out deciduous forest animals and plants to construct an educational mural for your classroom. @Sheri Amsel
White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus White-tailed deer are found across Southern Canada and throughout the eastern U.S., mid-west and Rocky Mountains in forests, farms and open, brushy country. They are brown in summer and gray in winter. They have a large tail that they raise when they are running away, the bright white underside waving like a flag. Males reach up to 200 pounds and 7ft long. They grow spiked antlers that they lose each winter and grow back every spring. They travel in small groups. They are active mostly at early morning and late evening. Though they can be seen at all times of day feeding on twigs, grass, and acorns. Females are pregnant for 6 months and have 1-3 fawns.
White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus White-tailed deer can reach 5-7 feet long if blown up to full size. Place deer in the background at smaller sizes.
Mink Mustela vison Minks are found throughout the U.S. and Canada. They live in forests along streams, lakes and ponds near brushy, rocky shores. They have a long, thin body up to 2 long, a pointy face and a soft, dark coat with white on their throat and chest. They are active at night, dawn and dusk. They swim, climb trees, and dig burrows at the edge of the water. They live alone and feed on small mammals, birds, frogs, and crayfish. Females are pregnant for 40-75 days and have up to 8 young in April or May. They live up to 10 years in the wild and are not endangered.
Mink Mustela vison
Red Fox Vulpes vulpes The red fox is common in many places all over the world, including Europe, Asia, North Africa and North America in all habitats; including woodlands, farms, urban and coastal areas. They are easy to identify with their reddish body, white tipped, fluffy tail and black legs. They weigh about 10 pounds and are mostly active at night (nocturnal). Red fox are also often seen during daylight hours on golf courses or open fields, trotting along with their fluffy tails held out. They travel alone. They are scavengers, eating what they can find, but will also hunt and kill small animals and raid nests for eggs. Females are pregnant for about 7 weeks, having 4-5 pups in dens dug under trees roots or piles of brush. They will also den in tree cavities or rocky crevices.
Red foxes can reach 35 inches long. Red Fox Vulpes vulpes
Beaver Castor canadensis Beaver are found all over Canada and the U.S. on forest ponds and rivers. They are the largest rodents in North America with 2 pairs of sharp front teeth (incisors) that never stop growing. They weigh up to 100 pounds, have a large, flat, scaly tail that they slap on the water when startled and webbed back feet. They are active at night (nocturnal) cutting down trees to build dams. This makes a beaver pond where the beavers build their lodge. To protect their young, the only entrance is underwater. They eat water lilies roots, leaves and the green bark of softwood trees. They mate for life and both care for their babies. Females are pregnant for 4 months (gestation) and have up to 4 kits a year. They live for about 10 years in the wild and are plentiful.
Full-sized beavers can reach 4 feet long with the tail. Beaver Castor canadensis
Black Bear Ursus americanus The black bears of North America live in old forests, swamps and scrubby places where fires have burned all the trees. Their fur can be many colors from tan to brown to black. Male black bears weigh about 300 pounds. Females weigh about 150 pounds. The largest black bears reach up to 600 pounds. Black bears are active mostly at night (nocturnal). They eat plants and animals (omnivores). They eat small mammals, fruits, nuts, roots and insects. They spend the winter in a den sleeping (hibernating). They have 1-3 babies called cubs. They have their babies in January or February. Female black bears are pregnant for about 71/2 months (gestation). The babies nurse on milk for about 8 months.
Black Bear Ursus americanus Black bears can reach 4.5 ft long.
Raccoon Procyon lotor Raccoons are found throughout the western hemisphere from Canada to Argentina in woodlands near water and also in farmlands, neighborhoods and cities. They den in trees and sometimes in abandoned burrows or caves. They will also den in attics, barns, and garages. Raccoons are 4-feet long including their tails and in the wild weigh from 15-30 pounds. Raccoons in the north tend to weigh more. Urban raccoons feeding on trash can reach 60 pounds! They have a ringed tail and black mask on their face. Raccoons are active year round at night (nocturnal), but can be seen at dawn or dusk. Raccoons are omnivores and will eat frogs, crayfish, fish, birds, eggs, fruits, nuts, grains, small mammals and insects. Females are pregnant for 2 months and have 3-7 young in the early spring.
Raccoons can reach 4 ft long with the tail.. Raccoon Procyon lotor
Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Eastern gray squirrels are found in eastern Canada and the U.S. down through the Midwest into Iowa, Kansas and Texas in hardwood and mixed forests (as long as there are trees that produce nuts). They especially seem to like oak and hickory nuts. They are gray with lighter fur on their bellies. They have a flurry tail with silver tipped hairs. They are about 9 inches tall and weigh up to 2.5 pounds. They are active in the daytime (diurnal), especially in the morning and evening. They are active all year. Gray Squirrels den in trees cavities in the winter and leaf nests in the summer. They eat nuts: hickory, beech, acorns, and walnuts. They bury nuts they collect, so act as tree planters. Females are pregnant for 6 weeks and have 2-3 young born in the spring.
Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus Snowshoe hares are found throughout most of North America in conifer and leafy (deciduous) forests and brushy areas where there is lots of food and shelter. They have large feet for traveling on top of the snow. Their brown fur turns white in winter. They have long ears, though much smaller than jackrabbits. They are active all winter. They eat deciduous trees and shrubs, some conifers, grass, and wildflowers. Snowshoe hares usually have 2-3 litters a year from April to August. Females are pregnant for about 35 days, having up to 8 young. Snowshoe hares live about 3 years in the wild.
Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus Snowshoe hares can reach about 20 inches long.
Bobcat Lynx rufus Bobcats are found from Canada to Mexico in all habitats from forests and swamps to scrubby desert. They weigh up to 45 pounds and have a light spotted coat with stripes on their short, stubby tail. They have smaller ear and cheek tufts than their relative, the lynx. They are active both day and night hunting at dawn and dusk for rabbits, hares, squirrels, chipmunks, birds and sometimes, even deer. Females are pregnant for about 60 days. They have up to 6 kits at any time of the year. They live for about 12 years in the wild.
Bobcat Lynx rufus Bobcats can reach 2.5 ft long.
Red Squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus The red squirrel is found in Canada and the northern United States down to the Appalachian Mountains in coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests. They are reddish-brown on top and have white bellies with a black stripe where the two colors come together on their sides. They have ear tufts in the winter. They are about a foot long including their tail and weigh about 8-9 ounces. Their tail is not as bushy as the gray squirrel s tail. They are active during the day (diurnal) and all year round. They live much of their lives in the trees (arboreal). They eat pine seeds, nuts, fruit, insects, bird eggs and even small animals. Like the gray squirrel they bury seeds for later so are important tree planters and see dispersers. They nest in tree cavities or underground in tunnels. They live alone except to breed in the spring. Females are pregnant for about 5 weeks and can have 2-6 young.
Red Squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus Hairy Woodpeckers are found from Central Alaska across Canada to Newfoundland, south to Florida and Central America in deciduous forests, mixed woods, parks and yards with trees. They are about robin-sized with a white back, black and white striped (barred) wings and a red patch on the head. They have a long, slender bill. Their tail is black with white outer feathers. Females have a black patch on head instead of the red patch. They look like the downy woodpecker but are bigger. They peck for insects in trees. They will also eat fruits and seeds and come to bird feeders. They nest in trees holes. Females have 3 7 white eggs.
Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus Black-capped Chickadee Parus atricapillus
Black-capped Chickadee Parus atricapillus Black-capped chickadees are found all across North America from Southern Canada south to the middle United States in mixed forests, open woodlands, and wetlands to suburban areas. They have a black cap and throat with white cheeks, a gray back, wings and tail and a white belly. They are very common at feeders all winter. They have a chica-dee-dee-dee call. They form flocks in winter. They eat insects and seeds.
Barred Owl Strix varia Barred owls are found all over eastern North America from Southern Canada down to Florida. They have spread west in Canada and Washington State in wooded swamps and forests, especially when they are near rivers and streams. They grow to about 20 inches tall. They have a big, brown head, with rings around their eyes on a pale face. Their back and wings are brown with white spots and their chest and belly are white with brown bars. Males and females look the same. They hunt at night eating eat mice, rabbits, birds and frogs. They nest in tree holes (cavities) or use old nests left by a hawk or crow. Female lays 1-5 white eggs.
Barred Owl Strix varia
Deciduous Forest Amphibians woodfrog red eft (newt) American Toad
Cottontail Rabbit Lepus sylvaticus Cottontail rabbits are the most common and widely found rabbits in North America. They like to hide in tall grass, thickets, and along fencerows. They have a rounded body with large back feet, long ears, and a round, white, fluffy tail. They vary in color from grayish to reddish brown and have white bellies. They weigh 2-3 pounds and are active all year, mostly at night (nocturnal). They have good sight and hearing and will freeze in place when sensing danger. Their coloring helps them blend in (camouflage). If they are flushed out of hiding they can run up to 18 mph for a short distance. If caught by a predator they can make a loud, shrill scream. They eat grass and green plants and in winter will eat the bark, twigs, and buds of shrubs and young trees (herbivores). Females are pregnant for about 28 days (gestation) and give birth to 3-8 young in a nest built underground or under thick grass and lined with grass and fur.
Cottontail Rabbit Lepus sylvaticus
Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo Wild turkeys live in southeastern Canada south to Florida and in some places throughout the west in open woodlands and clearings. They are often seen along roadways. They look like tame turkeys except they are thinner with rustybrown tail feathers instead of white. They are a huge bird, weighing up to 25 pounds. Instead of feathers on their face and neck, they have bumpy, loose skin. They have a large fan-shaped tail and spurs on their long, strong legs. Males are much larger and more colorful with a beard of loose skin (wattle). They travel in flocks. In the winter, there can be as many as 200 birds to a flock. They sleep (roosting) in trees at night and run when startled. They can fly, but they don t unless they have to. They eat fruit, seeds, acorns, insects and tree buds.
Male wild turkeys can reach 4 ft long with tail. Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus Ruffed grouse are found in Alaska, all over Canada and the northwestern and northeastern U.S. down to Alabama in mixed forests and are seen along roadways. They spend the winter in conifer forests. They are a large, dark bird with gray-brown dapples above. They are lighter below. They have a fan-shaped tail with barred stripes. Males make a drumming sound in the spring to attract a mate. They spend most of their time on the ground but will burst into flight when they are alarmed. This works to scare off predators. They eat tree buds, and some leaves, nuts and fruit and insects. They make a nest in the dead leaves next to a tree or rock for cover. The female lays more than a dozen (7-16) light brown eggs that blend in with the dead leaves.
Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus
Coyote Strix varia Coyote are found all across North America in all habitats from woodlands and fields to deserts. Their fur is frosty gray to brown with a light-colored belly. They have a bushy tail with a black tip. They walk and run with their tail hung down. They weigh from 20-50 pounds. They are more active at night (nocturnal). They live in dens. Coyotes are survivors. They adapt better than wolves to living near humans. They can run up to 40 mph. They can jump 8-foot tall fences. They eat what they can find. They are scavengers. They also hunt small mammals and even deer. Females are pregnant for about 60 days and can have more than 12 pups in one litter, though usually they have 6. They live up to 15 years in the wild.
Coyote Strix varia
Opossum Didelphis virginiana Opossum (possum) are found from southern Canada, throughout the U.S., into Mexico and Central America (and spreading) in woodlands, along streams and around farms. They reach about 20 in long and weigh up to 12-14lbs. They are mostly grayish colored with a white, pointed face, pink nose and thin, round, hairless, dark ears. They have a long, pink, hairless, rounded tail, like a giant rat s tail. It can be used to wrap around things like fingers (prehensile). They have 50 tiny teeth, the most of any mammal in N.A. Their back feet have usable, clawless thumbs (opposable) that help in climbing. They have a belly pouch where their young stay protected and nurse (marsupials). They are the only marsupial in North America. They are active at night (nocturnal). They live alone except to mate or a female with young. They are well adapted to living near people and will wander around raiding garbage cans and grain bins. They will eat almost anything; fruit, plants, nuts, eggs, insects, rodents and poultry (omnivores) and even dead animals (carrion).
Opossum Didelphis virginiana
Red-shouldered hawk Buteo lineatus Red-shouldered summer in the northeastern U.S. and northern midwest and some central and southern states in moist deciduous forests with a more open canopy. They are often seen perching in trees along the edges of waterways. Red-shouldered hawks are medium-sized hawks that reach up to 2 feet long. They have wide, roundish wings that they hold slightly forward when in flight. The wings and tail have dark and light banding. The tail s banding has more dark color with thinner white bands. The shoulders are reddish. The chest and legs are light colored with reddish bars. They have long yellow lower legs and feet. They hunt for small mammals (mice, voles, gophers and chipmunks), amphibians and reptiles and sometimes songbirds from a perch, often hear the water s edge where they watch for prey.
Red-shouldered hawk Buteo lineatus
Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata Blue jays are found in southern Canada through eastern U. S. to Gulf Coast, westward to central Texas. There are small groups of them all the way west to Washington. Some go south (migrate) in winter and some stay in the north in oak forests and suburbs. They are bright blue on their heads, back and wings with black stripes (bars) on their wings and tail. They have a white face, chest and belly. They have a blue head crest with a black line framing the sides of their face. They have a loud call and can be very aggressive. They eat nuts and seeds with some fruit and insects. They build a nest of twigs and grass, with mud. The female lays 2-7 blue to light brown eggs with brownish spots.
Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
Trees of the Deciduous Forest
blue jay hairy woodpecker Deciduous Forest Animals red-shouldered hawk chickadee barred owl red squirrel gray squirrel red fox coyote beaver black bear mink toad white-tailed deer cottontail rabbit bobcat opossum wood frog newt wild turkey ruffed grouse snowshoe hare raccoon