Author: Bradley Shepherd

The long eared owl, also known as the northern long-eared owl, lesser horned owl, Asio otus, cat owl, or long-eared owl, is a species of owl native to North America. It has very large ear tufts and can be found in open habitats, such as fields and grasslands, where it hunts small mammals and birds by night. The owls are one of the few species of owls to hunt during the day as well, especially when they are nesting and raising their young. Northern long-eared owls have been considered rare and endangered in some states since the early 2000s, but recent conservation efforts have had…

Asian koel birds (Eudynamys scolopaceus) are medium-sized, olive-green colored birds with black bills and white bars on their wings. A defining characteristic of this bird, which is in the same family as cuckoos, is the fact that it does not build its own nest and instead lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. Asian koel birds are native to India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Australia. They can be found as far north as Japan and Russia and as far south as New Zealand and New Caledonia. Eudynamys scolopaceus is a small passerine bird and one of the many species of…

The great horned owl, tiger owl, or the hoot owl as it’s sometimes called, (Bubo virginianus) gets its name from the tufts of feathers on its head that make it look like an old-fashioned helmet. They are the most widely distributed species of owl in the Americas, ranging from Canada to Chile and even down into Panama and Ecuador. Their diet consists mostly of small mammals, so their main predators are other large birds such as hawks, eagles, falcons, and goshawks. They are nocturnal hunters, usually relying on stealth to capture their prey in complete darkness. The hoot owl is one of…

The black billed magpie, also known as the American magpie, Pica hudsonia, or Hudsonian Magpie, is a member of the Corvidae family native to North America and the only bird species in the genus Pica that’s found solely in North America. The species name Hudsonia commemorates English naturalist George Vancouver, who made observations on this species while exploring the Pacific Northwest region of the continent. Pica hudsonia is an omnivorous bird and its range stretches from the northern United States and southern Canada all the way down to Mexico and Central America. The black-billed magpie’s scientific name translates roughly to the appetite of Hudson…

The American robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory songbird that breeds in North America from Alaska and Newfoundland south to the northern United States, Mexico, and the Bahamas. The American robin is not related to the European Robin nor to the Australian Robin. It received its name because of its reddish-orange breast, set against a rich brown background,. the colors of the coat-of-arms of Britain’s King Charles I, who reigned when this bird was first recorded in North America. Turdus migratorius is native to North America and the most common migratory songbird in the Western Hemisphere, as well as the state bird…