Wild at Heart News
Friday Feathered Fact
Spring migration has nearly finished which includes not only the familiar song birds but, many of our raptors. Some, such as the Swainson’s Hawk, travel a one-way journey of 6,000 miles between wintering in Argentina and nesting in Canada. Another long distant migrant, the Peregrine Falcon, has the greatest migration of any raptor, […]
Friday Feathered Fact
The Owl that Wasn’t. During each spring and fall migration, rescue calls come in for a “tiny owl” lying on the ground. Quite often, the tiny owl turns out to be one of two unfamiliar look-alike birds. These are the poorwill […]
Friday Feathered Fact
A Barn Owl family is somewhat unique by having many (up to a dozen) nestlings that range dramatically in size from a 2-inch new-hatch to a sibling 10 inches tall. This occurs because the Barn Owl immediately sits on the first egg while adding a new egg each day. A two-week size difference […]
Friday Feathered Fact
The Harris’s Hawk — named after Edward Harris in the early 1800s by his friend, John Audubon — […]
Friday Feathered Fact
A wolf in the fold? In Arizona, there are two raptors that can look remarkably alike. These are the abundant Turkey Vultures that often soar in large flocks (called kettles) […]
Friday Feathered Fact
Daytime or Nighttime? The general belief is owls are nocturnal where they sleep by day and hunt by night. However, this is not true for many species of owls. Examples of diurnal (daytime active) owls include our Burrowing Owl and the […]
Is that a one-legged owl? Nearly all birds routinely perch or stand on just one leg. The “missing” leg is drawn up close to the body, hidden under the feathers. Why do they do this? We receive several calls each month about […]
Friday Feathered Fact
Great Horned Owls are nesting! These are some of the earliest nesters, laying eggs in January and February. Our first egg rescue was mid-February with the chicks hatching this Mar 02. Owls never build their own nests or even add material to it. Instead, they confiscate nests of other large birds or, simply […]
Owls have excellent vision. But, do they have four eyes? The two species of pygmy-owls found in the US have a unique adaptation. The back of the head shows two large eye-shaped patterns believed to offer it protection from larger predators that may approach from behind. These small owls are daytime hunters, specializing on other […]
When most of us see an owl in the wild, we are often impressed at how big it appears. As an example, the Great Horned Owl is the largest owl in Arizona and stands over a foot and a half tall. However, what is not widely known is how little most of Arizona’s owls really […]
