Topic: The Aviary

Azjah · Date: 2008-04-18 20:36 EST

Almost lost, bald eagles have staged a dramatic comeback.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/RhyDin/Zoology/BaldEagleSmithsonian.gif

At their lowest point, only 420 nesting pairs of bald eagle could be found in the continental United States. Now, that number exceeds 6,000, and the once-endangered bald eagle has come soaring back.

Poaching and habitat loss hit eagles hard. Then came DDT, a pesticide once widely used in agriculture. DDT got into our waters, and worked its way up the food chain.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/RhyDin/Zoology/BaldEagle2Smithsonian.gif

The Bald Eagle is a large bird, with a body length of 71?96 centimeters (28?38 in), a wingspan of 168?244 centimeters (66?88 in), and a mass of 3?6.3 kilograms (6.6?14 lb); females are about 25 percent larger than males.

The adult Bald Eagle has a brown body with a white head and tail, and bright yellow irises, taloned feet, and a hooked beak; juveniles are completely brown except for the yellow feet. Males and females are identical in plumage coloration. Its diet consists mainly of fish, but it is an opportunistic feeder. It hunts fish by swooping down and snatching the fish out of the water with its talons. It is sexually mature at four years or five years of age.

The Bald Eagle builds the largest nest of any North American bird, up to 4 meters (13 ft) deep, 2.5 meters (8 ft) wide, and one tonne (1.1 tons) in weight.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/RhyDin/Zoology/20030625-0626eaglesmithsonian.jpg

((Images taken from the Smithsonian Zoological Park, all credits belong to the Smithsonian organization.))

Azjah · Date: 2008-04-18 20:50 EST

The Barred Owl, Strix varia, is a large typical owl. It goes by many other names, including eight hooter, rain owl, wood owl, and striped owl, but is probably known best as the hoot owl.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/RhyDin/Zoology/800px-Strix-varia-005.jpg

The adult is 44 cm long with a 112 cm wingspan. It has a pale face with dark rings around the eyes, a yellow beak and brown eyes. It is the only typical owl of the eastern United States which has brown eyes; all others have yellow eyes. The head is round and lacks ear tufts, a distinction from the Short-eared Owl. The upper parts are mottled gray-brown. The underparts are light with markings; the chest is barred horizontally while the belly is streaked lengthwise. The legs and feet are covered in feathers up to the talons.

The usual call is a series of eight accented hoots ending in oo-aw, with a downward pitch at the end. The most common mnemonic device for remembering the call is "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all." It is noisy in most seasons. When agitated, this species will make a buzzy, rasping hiss. While calls are most common at night, the birds do call during the day as well.