birds

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY # 9

Everyone put your hands over your eyes! Ok? You ready? Open your eyes and Surprise!! We have a spectacular bird for Super Surprise Thursday! Let’s not delay and meet this bird!

MEET THE AFRICAN FISH EAGLE!

Range/Habitat: Sub-Saharan Africa/lakes, rivers, grasslands, swamps

Diet: Carnivore: fish, some water fowl and small mammals

Length/Weight: 25-29”/4 ½ -8 lbs

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• African Fish Eagles are also known as the African Sea Eagle.
• They are related to the majestic Bald Eagle.
• African fish eagles swoop down and catch feet with talons. Their talons (or feet) have special spiricules on them to help them grip slippery and wet fish.
• Female African fish eagles are larger than the males.
• They are the national bird of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
• African fish eagles mate for life.
• Their loud cry is known as the “voice of Africa”.

These regal looking relatives of the Bald Eagle are pretty awesome! They’re so awesome that they are the national bird of not one but two countries! And who wouldn’t want to be the national animal of two countries?

Listen to their awesome call:

http://www.bushcampcompany.com/DIDYOUKNOW_ww/2010/mp3/Fish%20eagle.mp3

FEATHERY FRIDAY # 8

Have you ever seen the cartoon where there’s a coyote and a roadrunner? Did you know that there are real roadrunners? Well they are real and they’re pretty cool! So let’s meet our feathery friend the…

MEET THE GREATER ROADRUNNER!

Range/Habitat: Southwestern United States-Northern Mexico/desert and scrub

Diet: Carnivore: lizards, snakes, scorpions and spiders

Length/Weight: 22”/12 oz

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• The Greater Roadrunner can fly but spends most of its time on the ground.
• They can reach speeds of up to 18 mph! That is one fast bird.
• Greater roadrunners generally walk/run to catch their prey.
• They use their large beaks to attack prey.
• They have long tails that they lay flat when running.
• Greater roadrunners have black skin under their feathers. They expose the skin to the sun to absorb heat.

We all love watching the coyote roadrunner cartoons, but the real roadrunner is just as fun! They are fast and furious little birds. How fast can you run? You should try and be a roadrunner for the day!

FEATHERY FRIDAY #7

Whew! We’ve made it to another Friday and we’re so happy that it’s full of feathers! Our bird friends come in so many shape and sizes and today’s bird has a giant beak! Who is this amazing bird with the big ole beak?

MEET THE TOCO TOUCAN

Range/Habitat: North Eastern-Central South America (Bolivia-Peru-Argentina)/woodland, forest, groves

Diet: Omnivore: insects, fruits, frogs

Length/Weight: 21-23”/20 oz

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• Toco Toucans are the largest of all toucans.
• They have large orange bills with a black spot. The bills can get up to 7 ½” long (about the length of a pencil).
• Their bills are serrated (like a knife) and this helps them grasp and tear fruit.
• Their large bills also enable the toucan to get fruit from out of reach branches.
• Toco toucans nest in trees.
• You can see Toco toucans in small flocks of up to 6 birds.
• Both female and male toucans incubate the eggs.

Toco Toucans are really pretty birds with their shiny black feathers and large orange beaks! And man does that beak come in handy when you’re trying to get the fruit on the end of the branch! They also have a really cool call. Take a listen and Happy Feathery Friday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgQggP7__-M

FEATHERY FRIDAY #7

Wow! We had a great World Rhino Day yesterday! And it was also Elephant Appreciation Day! Edmond still needs to get Ellie a present. We’re glad it’s Friday, because that means it’s time to meet a bird! Today’s bird is named after the sound of its call. It sounds very sad, hopefully they’re not! Who is it?

MEET THE MOURNING DOVE!

Range/Habitat: North-Central America and Caribbean/urban areas-farms-woodlands and grasslands

Diet: Herbivore: seeds

Length/Weight: 9-13”/4-6oz

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• Mourning doves get their names from the call they make, which sounds sad and mournful.
• These little birds are great fliers and can fly fast, up to 55 mph!
• Males glide, spiral and do other aerial acrobatics above females to attract them.
• Mourning doves’ wings make a whistling sound when they land and take off.
• Both parents take care of the eggs and chicks. They can lay up to 6 clutches in a year!

These doves may sound mournful, but they are special! They’re very common and can be easy to spot in places like your back yard! In fact we may go out and see if we can find some! How about you? Bird watching is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon!

Here’s what they sound like:  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/sounds

FEATHERY FRIDAY #6

Today’s Feathery Friday animal is quite special! Who, you say? Well it’s a bird you think would say who but this one doesn’t! Whooooo is it then?

MEET THE BOOBOOK OWL!

Range/Habitat: Australia-South New Guinea/forests, grasslands, farmlands

Diet: Carnivore: insects, birds

Length/Weight: 12-14”/6-10oz

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• The Boobook owl is named after the call it makes.
• They are nocturnal like other owls, but often feed at dusk and dawn too!
• They are specialists at catching prey in mid-air.

This funny little owl doesn’t make the typical who call! That’s what makes it so special! Listen to it here:

http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/Ninox-boobook-1.mp3

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY #6

We have a special bird for today’s Super Surprise Thursday! This bird was once endangered but has made a good recovery thanks to all the people who worked hard to save them. They still have trouble with trash like fishing lines and hooks though. So who is the awesome bird? We bet some of you guessed the Bald Eagle, but you’d be wrong…

MEET THE BROWN PELICAN!

Range/Habitat: North-South America and Caribbean/ shallow coastal waters, estuaries and bays

Diet: Carnivore: fish, crustaceans

Length/Weight: 3 ¼-5ft/ 6-12 lb

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• The Brown Pelican is the smallest of all pelican species.
• They are plunge divers. They fly above the surface of the water and then drop or plunge into the sea to catch their prey.
• They are very social and are often seen flying together in flocks!
• Brown pelicans have a greenish skin on their face that is brighter during mating season.
• Brown pelicans like to nest in trees, shrubs and mangroves.
• Both parents incubate eggs. They usually have 2-3 chicks. One chick can eat up to 150 lbs of food by the time they are 10 months old! That’s a bunch of fish for little guys!
• Ever heard the limerick: “The Brown Pelican: His pouch can hold more than his belly can”? Well it is true! The pouch can hold up to 3 gallons and the stomach can hold around 1 gallon.
• Brown pelicans are the state bird of Louisiana.

We love Brown pelicans! They are really majestic birds, despite being a bit funny looking with their big bills and pouches. We’re so happy to hear that people also love these birds enough to help save them!

Check out this video of Julie Scardina with a Brown Pelican on the Today Show!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xl2nhr_nbc-today-show-soaring-sea-animals-fly-into-studio-1a_news

Today’s Feathery Friday animal is the African Grey Parrot and the most famous one ever was a bird named Alex. He was very adept at language and counting and picking out shapes and colors. Dr Irene Pepperberg worked very hard with Alex and learn all kinds of cool stuff about how birds think and behave! We’ve found some great videos that will give you a better idea of just how special Alex was! Check them out!

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/05/a-new-take-on-bird-brains.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pbs%2Fnewshour-headlines+%28newshour-headlines%29