It’s likely you are familiar with the carol, “Twelve Days of Christmas.” Moreover, you have probably sung it. But, have you ever noted how many birds are within the lyrics? To save you the time of counting, I’ll just tell you. There are six birds given as gifts in the song. If you do not […]
How Speedy is a Peregrine? Peregrine Falcons are speedy birds that are popular with bird watchers and falconers all over the world. The peregrine has been used for over 4,000 years in falconry and are arguably the fastest animal on the planet. Their spectacular dives and quick chases are a wonder to behold. According to Cornell […]
Insect Diets Insects supplement or make up the major part of the diets of many birds from small perching birds to raptors. Here at the Draper Museum Raptor Experience (https://centerofthewest.org/explore/greater-yellowstone-natural-history/raptor-experience) we care for 11 non-releasable birds. Of these, insects make up a major or minor portion of 7 of our species’ diets. Swainson’s Hawks eat […]
How Northern Harriers are Similar to Owls A Northern Harrier flies low over the grasslands with a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds following it. Commonly mobbed by blackbirds, sparrows, starlings, swallows, kestrels, Short-eared Owls, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and other birds, the raptor decides the annoying harassers are too swift and maneuverable to put out the effort of […]
Here in Wyoming the average December low temperature is 17 degrees Fahrenheit. Add wind and you will have sub-zero wind chill temperatures. Yet many of our birds do not migrate to warmer climates. Others, such as Rough-legged Hawks even migrate into our area in the winter. We think of Robins as being the bird that […]
It’s summer, and you think you may have heard the scream of a Red-tailed Hawk. You look up, and see a bird with a contrasting two-toned underside consisting of dark flight feathers and paler underwing coverts. You are pleased, maybe even surprised, to see a Swainson’s Hawk -a raptor that resides in the western part […]