Scientific Classification

Quick Information

Behavior

• The black-backed woodpecker flak off the bark of dead trees to search for insects.
• Both male and female woodpeckers indulge in the excavation.

Mating and Reproduction

Either by emitting some harsh calls or some courtship gestures, the male and female woodpeckers mates. Next step is to make a nest at 20-15 in off the ground, on dead pine or spruce. This is mostly done by the male as the female gets ready for laying around 3-6 white eggs in the nest. The incubation period lasts for 12-14 days. It is a shared duty by both the parents and males are mostly incubating at night. The breed once in a year.

Life-cycle

Young hatchlings are fed by their parents with male woodpeckers fly out to collect food away from the nest. They might undertake several trips for gathering food for their offspring. The juveniles woodpeckers need around 25 days to fledge.

Interesting Fact

• The black-backed woodpecker has three-toed feet.

References

1. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/black-backed-woodpecker
2. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-backed_Woodpecker/id
3. https://www.borealbirds.org/bird/black-backed-woodpecker
4. https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=ABNYF07090
5. https://www.sierraforestlegacy.org/FC_SierraNevadaWildlifeRisk/Black-backedWoodpecker.php
6. https://bwdmagazine.com/learn/black-backed-woodpecker/

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The Agile Eastern Gray Squirrel in Coniferous Forests

The Eastern Gray Squirrel is one of the most common mammals in North America. It’s found in coniferous and deciduous forests, as well as urban and suburban areas. Recognizable by its grayish-brown fur and bushy tail, this tree-dwelling rodent is known for its energetic behavior and remarkable ability to adapt to a wide range of habitats. The Eastern Gray Squirrel quickly navigates the tree canopy, jumping from branch to branch in search of food. Though it’s often seen during the day, the squirrel remains secretive and strategic, relying on instinctual behavior and strong memory to store food. By using dens, postures, and vocalizations efficiently, the Eastern Gray Squirrel has a variety of strategies enhance its survivability in diverse environments.

Scientific Classification

Physical Characteristics: The Agile Features of the Eastern Gray Squirrel

The Eastern Gray Squirrel is a medium-sized rodent with a body length of 9.1-11.8 inches (23-30 cm) and a tail length of 7.5-9.8 inches (19-25 cm). Its gray fur and white underbelly are its most distinguishing features, although some individuals may have a darker or lighter appearance. Known for its agility, the Eastern Gray Squirrel can leap distances of up to 10 feet between trees, a skill that helps it avoid predators and travel through its forested environment. Its sharp, curved claws — adapted for gripping tree bark — allow it to climb with ease. Its fluffy tail serves multiple functions: it helps with balance during jumps, provides warmth, and acts as a shield against the elements.

Quick Information

Behavior and Diet: A Strategic Planner in the Forest

Eastern Gray Squirrels are known for their clever food-hoarding behavior. They gather acorns, nuts, seeds, and tree buds, storing them in hidden locations, known as “caches,” to ensure they have enough food to survive the winter months. They rely on their sharp memory to retrieve these stores, though they sometimes forget where they’ve hidden them, inadvertently helping new trees grow. These squirrels are more active during the day, engaging in foraging, grooming, and territorial behaviors. Their distinctive “mehr, mehr, mehr” call is often used to warn other animals of danger, while their purring sounds signal contentment. When faced with danger, they use postures such as tail flicking or a stiffened stance to intimidate predators. These behaviors are essential for survival, especially when navigating the challenges of urban environments or dense forests.

Mating, Reproduction and Life Cycle: Raising the Next Generation of Squirrels

Eastern Gray Squirrels breed twice a year, typically in late winter and mid-summer. Males follow females during their estrus stage, and after a brief copulation period, the female gives birth to 2-4 young after a gestation period of around 44 days. The babies are born blind and hairless but grow rapidly. At around 7-10 weeks old, they are weaned, and by 9 months, they reach adulthood. Males reach sexual maturity at 11 months, while females mature slightly earlier, at around 5.5 months. The survival rate of young squirrels is low, with only 15-25% reaching their first year, but once they survive this initial period, their survival rate jumps to 50-70%.

• Two yearly phases mating seasons: December to February and May to June
• Adult males start to follow females when the latter enter their estrus stage.
• The copulation period is for 30 seconds maximum — After that, the females’ vagina closes itself.
• After a gestation period of 44 days, 2-4 young squirrels are born in each litter.

Nests and Dens: Creating Safe Havens for Survival

The Eastern Gray Squirrel builds its nests, known as dreys, high in the branches of trees, often in dens found within tree cavities or canopies. These dens provide shelter and protection from predators, especially during the cold winter months. The construction of a drey involves collecting leaves, twigs, bark, and other materials that create a sturdy structure, lined with softer materials like moss or feathers to keep the young squirrels warm. In addition to the main drey, squirrels also create secondary nests, or fallback dens, in nearby trees or hidden locations in case the primary nest is compromised. These dens are integral to their survival, providing a safe retreat in cold weather that allows them to regulate their body temperature.

Life-cycle

Newborn squirrels are blind and weigh around 0.4 oz (14 g) and they do not have any fur on them. Around 7^th week, they are weaned by their parents until the tenth week when they are no longer a juvenile. It is around 9^th months, they are called adults. Male squirrels are sexually active when they are 11 months old and for female, maturity comes around 5.5 months.

Life Expectancy, Survival Rates and Lifespan: The Resilient Journey of the Eastern Gray Squirrel

The Eastern Gray Squirrel is not only agile but also surprisingly versatile in its survival capabilities. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 19 miles per hour, it can outpace predators with impressive speed. In addition, the squirrel is skilled in swimming, able to cover distances of up to one mile if necessary. While the average life span of a gray squirrel is just 18 months, the potential for survival increases significantly after the first year, where 50 to 70 percent live on.

Gray Squirrels can live up to 4 years, though reaching such an age is rare. Only about 1 percent of squirrels survive past five years. Unfortunately, the early years are the most perilous. Only 15 to 25 percent of young squirrels making it past their first year, with the remainder falling prey to predators or succumbing to disease. This high mortality rate underscores the challenges these small but resilient mammals face throughout their lives. Despite their relatively short life spans, their ability to reproduce quickly and maintain healthy populations ensures the persistence of this species in various habitats.

Conservation and Challenges: How Eastern Grey Squirrels Adapt in a Changing Environment

The Eastern Gray Squirrel is listed as a species of “Least Concern” by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and adaptability. However, these squirrels face challenges from predators such as raccoons, hawks, bobcats, and foxes, as well as the effects of habitat destruction in urbanized areas. In some regions, non-native species, such as the Fox Squirrel, compete with the Eastern Gray Squirrel for food and nesting sites. Despite these challenges, the Eastern Gray Squirrel’s ability to thrive in diverse environments, from city parks to forested areas, ensures that it remains one of the most successful and recognizable species in North America.

Interesting Facts

• Some males despite reaching the adult state, cannot become sexually mature if they stay with male alpha squirrels. Females also, despite reaching the reproductive age, often start mating after they become 1.5 years of age.
• They have been a popular food delicacy for Native Americans as well as modern Americans but according to doctors consumption of these squirrels is detrimental for human brains.
• The Latin name ‘carolinensis’ is given to indicate that the species is first recorded in Calorina.

Summary: The Resilient Eastern Gray Squirrel

The Eastern Gray Squirrel is a resilient and adaptable mammal, thriving in a wide range of habitats from urban areas to dense woodlands. Its agility, strategic food-hoarding habits, and ability to adapt to different environments have made it one of the most successful mammals in North America. Though it faces threats from predators and habitat loss, its widespread presence and ability to thrive in diverse conditions make it a fascinating species to observe and study. As the Eastern Gray Squirrel continues to evolve and adapt to a changing environment, it serves as a reminder of the incredible resilience of wildlife.

References

• https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sciurus_carolinensis/
• http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/eastern_gray_squirrel_712.html
• https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/eastern-gray-squirrel
• https://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/mammals/eastern-grey-squirrel.html

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Scientific Classification

Quick Information

Behavior

• The bird stays in flocks during their migration and foraging.
• By flapping its wings, the bohemian waxwing often hovers from one perch to another, rarely walking on the ground.
• It takes a bath in gathered water due to rain and scratches its head by keeping its foot on its extended wings.
• Male waxwings are protective about their mates and often threaten other males who are trying to snatch their mates.

Mating and Reproduction

Winter is the season when two potential mates meet each other and through a brief period of courtship, they mate from March to April or from May to June. The courtship session includes hopping and feeding. Perched at top, facing each other, the couple starts to hop towards each other until they touch each other’s beak with an exchange of food or other objects. After successful mating, the female lays around 4-6 glossy black dotted eggs with light blue and gray shades. The incubation period is usually 13-14 days and is done by the female waxwing.

Life-cycle

The hatchlings are incapable to move on their own. They are fed insects or fruits by both of their parents. It takes 14-16 days for them to fledge.

Interesting Facts

• The female waxwing prefers males with more waxy wings.
• The Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus, rightly called the father of modern taxonomy described the species for the first time in 1758 as Lanius Garrulus but later in 1808, ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot moved the species to the genus Bombycilla.
• For birdwatchers, this is a popular species to look for.

References

• https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bohemian_Waxwing/id
• https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/bohemian-waxwing
• https://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-bohemian-waxwing.html
• http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-bohemian-waxwing.html

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Scientific Information

Behavior

• Except for babies and their mothers, these squirrels are solitary.
• They prefer abandoned nests of woodpeckers and other birds.
• Douglas squirrels are diurnal.
• In order to protect their territory, the squirrels produce a large alarming call to ward off other animals.

Mating and Reproduction

The mating season starts from February and last till August but most mating occurs between March to June. Female squirrels give birth to litters, each containing 4-6 kittens.

Life Cycle

Young squirrels are born blind and they do not have any fur on them. They weigh 13-18 g (0.4-0.6 oz). They start growing fur when they are around 18 days and start opening their eyes during 26-36 days. The mother starts weaning them when they are 6-9 weeks old and it continues for more 3 months. During 4-6 months of age, they become young but stay with their families. They become adult attaining sexual maturity when they reach 8-9 months.

Interesting Facts

• While communicating with other closely-related species, the squirrels use their tail as a flag.
• They keep on chewing things, especially twigs to sharpen and trim their teeth.

References

1. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tamiasciurus_douglasii/#lifespan_longevity
2. https://animalia.bio/douglas-squirrel
3. http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/douglassquirrel.htm/
4. http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/douglas_squirrel_712.html
5. https://thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/mammals/Rodentia/Sciuridae/Tamiasciurus/Tamiasciurus-douglasii.html

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Scientific Classification

Quick Information

Behavior

• These territorial birds either stay in pairs or alone
• They fly with low wingbeats and little glides
• The northern goshawks usually sit on high perches, watching over their preys and then suddenly attack them

Mating and Reproduction

The supposedly monogamous bird, displays amazing flights and indulges in proper vocalization during the mating and nesting season. Both the male and female make nests for the arrival of their babies with barks and sticks. The female northern goshawks lay 2-5 eggs. Initially, the eggs look bluish but that changes to off-white. Females incubate them for 35-42 days and sometimes males help in the process. Usually, male goshawks during this phase take care of the family, from gathering foods to protecting the female and unborns or newborns.

Life-cycle

After a successful hatching, juvenile goshawks stay with their mother for 5-6 weeks more. After that, they try flying by short flight and keep on trying until they become able to take long flights. Even after learning how to fly, young and sub-adult birds stay with their parents for a few weeks more. Within 10-12 weeks, they become completely independent of their parents and by this time, they turn into predators and birds of prey. However, some birds, stay with their parents for around 1 year. The sexual maturity of northern goshawks is achieved at 1-2 years.

Interesting Fact

• The genus name being “Accipiter”, meaning “hawk”, has come from the word “Accipere” meaning “to grasp” and the Latin name “gentilis” means “gentle” or “noble”. The bird used to be allowed for falconry to people with noble heredity only.

References

1. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Goshawk/id
2. https://wildernessclassroom.org/wilderness-library/northern-goshawk/
3. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/northern-goshawk
4. https://www.peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/Northern_Goshawk
5. https://nhpbs.org/wild/northerngoshawk.asp
6. https://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-northern-goshawk.html

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Scientific Classification

Quick Information

Behavior

• Adult males or bighorn sheep stay in small groups of 2-5 without any female or ewes, and juveniles. On the other hand, females and juveniles form groups having 5-15 members.

Mating and Reproduction

The period between November to December, being their mating season is known as ‘rut’ and prior to this phase, male bighorns compete with each other in order to allure females. The competition includes horn clashing. With a speed of around 20 mph and a possibility to last for an entire day, the fight gets the superior or winner male who mates finally. Post-mating, the gestation period lasts for 506 months and female bighorns give birth to 1 lamb.

Life-cycle

Newborn lambs are covered with light or pale, soft woolly coats and little horn buds. It takes 1 day to walk and subsequently climb, post birth. They spend the 1^st year of their life with their mothers. Mostly, bighorns get matured around 2.5 years of age.

Interesting Facts

• Besides males, female bighorns can also fight for establishing superiority. Their horn fights are so intense that when two bighorns crash with each other, the sound is audible from miles away.
• The Rocky Mountain bighorn is the largest species of wild sheep of the entire North America.

References

1. https://defenders.org/bighorn-sheep/basic-facts
2. http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/bighorn_sheep_k6.html
3. https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/bighorn_sheep.htm
4. https://bighorn.org/about-bighorns/

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Scientific Name

Quick Information

Behavior

• The snake has a docile deportment and typically won’t become aggressive unless threatened.
• The snake constricts its prey until they suffocate to death.

Mating & Reproduction

 From late April to May (spring season), the snakes mate. Being an oviparous species, the female snake lays 4-18 eggs either in June or July. Eggs are creamy-white in color, often laid inside deep burrows.

Life-cycle

Hatchlings emerge from the eggs around September, each sizing 4-8 inches. They have an egg tooth that helps them break the hard exterior of the egg. Their sexual maturity is attained at the age of 3 or 4 years.

Interesting Facts

• The species is once thought to be an intergrade (meaning sharing the same locality with another species, and having some common physical attributes) with scarlet kingsnake, but the theory doesn’t stand anywhere.

References

1. https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/eastern-milksnake/index.php
2. https://reptilesmagazine.com/listings/snakes-care-sheets/eastern-milk-snake/
3. http://herpsofnc.org/eastern-milksnake/
4. https://kysnakes.ca.uky.edu/snake/lampropeltis-triangulum
5. https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/species-information/reptiles-amphibians/eastern-milksnake.html
6. http://wildlifeofct.com/eastern%20milksnake.html

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Scientific Classification

Quick Information

Behavior

• Male ovenbirds are extremely territorial
• The birds are solitary during the winter migration
• They have a certain pattern of hopping, dashing and foraging

Mating and Reproduction

Male and female ovenbirds choose either mixed or deciduous forests for their mating when after a brief courtship, the female bird builds an oven-shaped nest with leaves, bark, stems, and hairs. The location of the nest is 60-70 ft interior from the border of the forest. The female lays 3-6 eggs per brood. Sizing around 0.9 in (each egg) and white in color with some reddish-brown spots. All eggs are incubated for 11-14 days.

Life-cycle

Young hatchlings are born with eyes closed and covered in brown colored down. Both their parents feed them. They young ones take their first flights after 8-11 days of birth.

Interesting Facts

• The famous poet Robert Frost has a poem named after the bird “ The Oven Bird”.
• The well known American poet Robert Bly also used the reference of the bird by mentioning “The Nimble Oven Bird”, in his poem known as “The Slim Fir Seeds”.
• The genus name  Seiurus is a combination of two Greek words like “SEIO” and “Oura”. These two words mean ‘to shake’ and ‘ tail’ respectably. The scientific name Aurocapilla means ‘golden hairs’ in Latin.

References

1. https://bwdmagazine.com/learn/identification/ovenbird/
2. https://abcbirds.org/bird/ovenbird/
3. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ovenbird/lifehistory#
4. https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/ovenbi1/cur/introduction

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Scientific Classification

Quick Information

Behavior

• In the morning, the snake warms itself up by basking in the Sun and then starts looking for preys. But if it’s too hot outside, then the snake prefers to stay inside a shelter.
•  The snake uses the same hibernation spot every year.

Mating and Reproduction

Female snakes use pheromone to communicate with male snakes for mating. Their common breeding season is spring but they mate in the falls as well. When the temperature starts to rise they mate and females leave the den or the mating spot soon after and males stay back at the spot to continue mating with other female snakes. The eggs are hatched inside the female snake’s body and 8-12 live young ones are born.

Life-cycle

Right from the birth, the young western garter snakes are on their own and there is no parental care involved. They start looking for food and often become aggressive in order to survive. Both male and female snakes attain sexual maturity around the age of 1.5 years.

Interesting Fact

• The snake species also has melanistic variations.

References

1. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Thamnophis_elegans/#reproduction
2. https://digitalatlas.cose.isu.edu/bio/reptile/serp/thel/thelfram.htm
3. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/28398-Thamnophis-elegans
4. https://bcreptilesandamphibians.trubox.ca/western-terrestrial-garter-snake/

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Scientific Classification

Quick Information

Behavior

• While migrating to the south for the winter season, the entire flock makes a shape of v in the sky.
• Their roosting time is during the night being afloat.
• They have the capacity to sleep while swimming.

Mating and Reproduction

Post winter, snow geese return to the north and adult ones look for mates. They try to find their counterparts similar to their parents’ coloration, although this is not the case always. Nesting is typically observed at the end of May. Females lay 2-6 eggs followed by an incubation period of 22-25 days.

Life-cycle

Hatchlings are usually covered with down and their eyes are open. They become able to eat and swim without any help within 24 hours of birth and after 42-50 days, they start flying. Despite their ability, they are supervised and kept under the protection of their parents for another 2-3 years.

Interesting Facts

• Previously, the two morphs, white and blue were considered different species.
• Due to their overpopulation at some places, they have become the reason of the destruction of their own habitat.
• They fly so high during the migration that it becomes difficult to spot them.

References

1. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/snow-goose
2. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snow_Goose/lifehistory
3. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/snow-goose
4. https://www.britannica.com/animal/snow-goose

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Scientific Classification

Quick Information

Behavior

• Snowshoe hares are nocturnal and always have their food at night
• They are fast runners and usually change direction quickly, and creating obstructions with leaves to ward off predators
• They can swim extremely well and jump in the water in order to run away from predators

Mating and Reproduction

Breeding seasons starts in March for snowshoe hares and males compete for their potential matches. After mating, followed by a gestation period of 36 days, females have 2-4 litters yearly, each including 1-8 young hares or leverets.

Life-cycle

Snowshoe hares are born being fully covered with fur and eyes open. They weigh 1.5-2.6 oz at birth. After a few hours of their birth, they are able to hop. They become fully self dependent after 3-4 weeks. They attains sexual maturity at the age of 1.

 Interesting Facts

• Snowshoe hares can jump upto 3 meters and they are fast as well. Their general speed is 27 miles per hours.
• They efficiently munch on pine needles.

References

1. https://animalcorner.org/animals/snowshoe-hare/
2. https://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/mammals/snowshoe-hare.html
3. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lepus_americanus/
4. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/snowshoe-hare
5. https://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/fun-facts-about-cute-animals-snowshoe-hare-edition

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Scientific Classification

Quick Information

Behavior

• The bird stays mostly on the ground and takes a flight when surprised.
• They dig up burrows in the snow to stay warm.
• Ruffed grouses often emit a drumming sound through wing flapping while defending own territories.
• Usually solitary, but these birds often create groups to have foods together

Mating & Reproduction

The courtship starts with the male grouse looking for potential female partners through drumming a “thump thump” sound. After this, the female starts building bowl-shaped nests at the tree base or rock. Females lay cream white to cinnamon colored 9-14 eggs each sizing 1.5-1.6 in. They are incubated for 23-24 days.

Life-cycle

Young grouses have a cluster of black feathers in a triangular shape around their ears. Within 24 hours of hatching, they become capable of walking and feeding all by themselves.

Interesting Facts

• It is the state bird of Pennsylvania
• This bird is the only species of the genus Bonas

References:

1. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruffed_Grouse/lifehistory
2. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/ruffed-grouse
3. https://ruffedgrousesociety.org/grouse-facts/#.XMAYF6RS_Dc

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