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TopClicks
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Animals, Pets & More
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Birds
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Species
About Mute Swans - Do you know what a cob is, besides something corn grows on? What's a pen, besides something you write with? A cob is an adult male swan, and a pen is an adult female swan. The three to seven eggs the pens lays is called clutch, and young swans are called cygnets.
ASCAR Home Page - The American Society of Crows and Ravens (ASCAR) is a group of folks who support the "caws" of crows and ravens. Ravens look like crows, but they are about one-third larger. Did you know that some of these species can be taught to talk? That explains Edgar Allan Poe's raven, who was always saying "Nevermore!" At this site you can find raven T-shirts and coffee mugs as well as lots of links to other information about these smart creatures.
Belted Kingfisher - First grader Rachel and a college student pal researched the belted kingfisher. You'll find lots about kingfishers here, including a drawing Rachel made, and an audio file of the kingfisher's call.
Everglades National Park Roseate Spoonbill - The beautiful, exotic-looking pink spoonbill soars overhead. It's hard to believe that these birds narrowly escaped extinction. Why? In the 1800s they were killed for their wings and feathers, which were popular on women's hats. Their bills are an unmistakable shape--can you guess what it might look like?
Flamingos - The shape of a flamingo's bill determines what sort of food he likes. If he has a deep-keeled bill, he'll go for algae and diatoms, and if he has a shallow-keeled bill, he can eat a more varied diet of small invertebrates, fish, and brine shrimp. They also need fresh water to drink, which can be a problem since many live near lakes with a high salt content. Some flamingos seek out freshwater geysers--drinking water that is so hot it is almost at the boiling point! Learn all about flamingos at SeaWorld.
Hinterland Who's Who - Great Blue Heron - If you've ever watched a great blue heron in the wild, you know it's got two feeding behaviors: standing and walking slowly. With the standing method, this long-legged bird stands motionless in shallow water until a fish, frog, or snake happens by. Then it grabs the creature with its long yellow bill and eats it for lunch! The walking-slowly method is similar, except the bird carefully picks up each leg and sets it down slowly as it moves down the shoreline, so as not to disturb any waiting snacks in the water. A flying heron is something to see: its wingspan is about six feet wide, and it can fly between 20 and 29 mph.
Hummingbirds! - Did you know that in the spring, male hummingbirds start heading north as early as three weeks ahead of the females and immature birds? This is so the male can scout ahead for food for the females and young during migration. For more information on attracting hummingbirds to your yard, hummingbird feeders, the natural history of hummingbirds, and more, visit this hobbyist's outstanding page.
Jamie Stewart's Screech Owl Page - What a wonderful collection of photos, taken of a family of screech owls nesting near Jamie Stewart's house. Be sure to fill out the guest book, and tell Jamie you saw his page referred to in this book. When you do this, you get to see another cute owl picture!
Meet Wisconsin's Woodpecker Family - What the Web really needs is a comprehensive page about all kinds of woodpeckers. Unfortunately, we haven't found a complete one yet, but this one is a start. Gaze on one of the largest of the woodpecker family, the pileated woodpecker, and find out about their habitat and nesting requirements as well as what they eat. You'll also meet other species: the downy, the hairy, the red-bellied and the red-headed, the northern flicker, and the yellow-bellied sapsucker.
Newton Central on Prairie Chickens - Third and fourth graders wrote these reports. They became interested in the prairie chicken when they found the once-abundant bird was now an endangered species. In the mid-1800s, there were 10 to 14 million prairie chickens in Illinois. In 1990, there were less than 50 left. What happened? Mostly it was loss of habitat. The good news is that prairie chicken sanctuaries have been set aside, and the birds are starting to repopulate them. These fascinating birds have a winter habit called "snow roosting." At night, they let the snow cover them up, and this insulates and keeps them warm. In the morning, they burst out of their "igloo"--which must startle passers-by! You will also read about what types of grasses are found in a prairie and be surprised to learn that Illinois has an official prairie grass: the big bluestem.
North American Bluebird Society - The bluebird is one of North America's most beloved birds. One way to help these beautiful creatures is to establish a "bluebird trail" of nest boxes. Plans for constructing these are at this site. If you can't build your own box, you can "adopt a box" along the transcontinental bluebird trail, and monitor it for activity. This does cost money, which goes to the organization to help more bluebirds. Discover why everyone loves bluebirds at this site.
Owls - Do you know a barn owl from a screech owl? You will if you visit this site. A barn owl has a heart-shaped face and can be between 15 and 20 inches tall. A screechie, on the other hand, has tufted ears and is much smaller--only about 10 inches long. You can learn to build owl houses here and help increase the owl population where you live. Let's "owl" build some birdhouses soon!
Penguin Page - We all know what macaroni and cheese is, but have you ever heard of macaroni penguins? They live in the Antarctic and nearby islands, and they eat crustaceans, fish, and squid. Visit the Aggressive Behavior section and discover the difference between the "sideways stare" and the "alternate stare" given by penguins to other penguins and other animals. You'll also learn about various penguin species and their predators.
Penguins in New Zealand - Do penguins have knees? Do all penguins live in cold climates? Do penguins ever fly? The answers to these questions and more are available on this site. You can learn about penguin species and threats to their habitat, and find out who's trying to save them. There are also a couple of penguin games just for fun!
Pet Bird Page (Parrots) - Thinking about buying a bird for a pet? If so, this is the place to stop before making your purchase. They'll help you choose the bird that's best for you. You'll find important information on what to feed your bird and on how to train it, as well as guidelines for finding a good vet. You'll have an opportunity to talk to professionals and experienced breeders in the chat room, and you'll learn about the daily and periodic care required for your new pet.
Project Pigeon Watch - Have you ever noticed the variety of color patterns in pigeons? The original wild pigeons from Africa and Europe are of a coloration called "blue bar." Now there are almost 30 different variations of that, and you can see a number of them on this page! Scientists don't understand it, and they want inner-city kids to help them figure it out. There is a nominal cost for your classroom or family to get an official research kit. You'll need to make observations of pigeons in your area and send in reports to Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology. Even if you don't plan on joining, you can learn about pigeon color variations here.
Raptor Center - You find a hawk with an injured wing. What do you do? You need to call a special kind of animal doctor, called a wildlife rehabilitator, who helps the bird get better so it can be released to the wild again. This site tells you what to do in an emergency, but the most important rule is that the less contact you have with the bird, the better its chances of survival will be. You can also call the Raptor Center 24 hours a day to get advice. They treat many sick or injured birds of prey, also known as raptors . For example, a bald eagle was found with a severe bacterial infection. The Raptor Center cured it and released it the next month. Years later, the same lucky bird was found caught in a steel-jawed trap, and it had another visit to the Raptor Center. The injury was successfully treated, and the eagle was once again released. Visit this Web site to find more materials about the Raptor Center and the birds they treat, including information about endangered/threatened birds and the environmental issues that affect them, as well as multimedia files.
Redberry Pelican Project Research Station - Visit the Redberry Lake research station, near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It's a prime nesting area for the American white pelican, and since they have a live webcam, you may be able to spot one yourself! Worldwide there are eight species of pelican; you can see photos and get information here. There are also links to other pelican researchers, plus pelican poetry and prose.
Roadrunner - In cartoons, the very intelligent Roadrunner always escapes from the very confused Coyote. Do you think that's true in real life? At this site you can read about the true-life adventures of the real bird, and by the way, he never says "Beep-beep!"
The Owl Pages - To an Apache Indian, dreaming of an owl meant approaching death. To the ancient Greeks, the owl was the symbol of Athena, goddess of wisdom. Learn about the lore and mythology of owls at this excellent site, which also features species descriptions, photos, and screeches, hoots, and calls from owls all over the world.
Turkey Vulture Society - It may be the most graceful soaring bird ever, but up close and personal, well, it's not the prettiest creature on earth--unless you're another turkey vulture, of course. These birds are carrion eaters, which means they scavenge on dead things. That sounds awful, right? But if it weren't for scavengers like the turkey vulture, think of all the other problems we'd have! Learn about this bird and the people who love it.
Virtual Galepagos- Flamingo - Flamingos get their exotic pink coloring from the food they eat, and the ones on the Galapagos Islands are looking just a little pale. But they sound OK (listen to the call of the wild flamingo). You'll also find a brief movie of how a flamingo feeds (by straining water though a netlike bill).
Whooping Crane - These endangered birds are BIG! They can be up to 60 inches tall, and their wingspan is 7.5 feet. They live in shallow wetlands and coastal areas, but they migrate from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Alberta and the Northwest Territories of Canada. They mate for life, and in Japan, it is traditional to have a crane design on wedding clothing to symbolize true love and long life.
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