A male royal tern (Thalasseus maximus) attempts to court two disinterested females on South Padre Island, TX, USA
by Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith
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The Florida panther is the last population of pumas (cougars) surviving in the eastern US. Nearly extinct, with fewer than 20 remaining in recent decades, the species has rebounded to nearly 200 today.
Photograph: Carlton Ward Jr - Vital Impacts
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Barred Owls in Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, Texas, United States
Stephanie LeBlanc
The barred owl, also known as the northern barred owl, striped owl or, more informally, hoot owl or eight-hooter owl, is a North American large species of owl.
Conservation status: Least Concern (Population increasing)
Scientific name: Strix varia
Mass: 1.4 – 1.8 lbs
Class: Aves
Domain: Eukaryota
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Strix
Habitat: Woodlands, wooded river bottoms, and wooded swamps. Favors mostly dense and thick woods with only scattered clearing, especially in low-lying and swampy areas. Most common in deciduous or mixed woods in southeast, but in north and northwest may be found in mature coniferous trees.
Diet: Typically a perch hunter, the barred owl is an opportunistic feeder that takes a variety of small mammals including rodents, young hares, bats, mink, weasels, squirrels, birds and even large insects. Where available, eats lizards, snakes, frogs, salamanders, and crawfish.
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Bald Eagle. Colorado, USA.
📸 Shaun Wilsey Photography
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Hummingbird feeding its chick by bubble_boy
Via Flickr:
California Fremont Bay Area San Francisco USA East Bay Nature Birds Wildlife Photography Travel Wild Trails ebparksok
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A gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) wanders through a backyard in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA
by troupial
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Thanks to this individual for creating a petition that finally caught on. I’ve signed many in the past that garnered little support. Now is the time! People are becoming educated and activated!
In case you don’t know why this petition is so important, here’s information from the National wildlife foundation:
“Invasive species can change the food web in an ecosystem by destroying or replacing native food sources. The invasive species may provide little to no food value for wildlife. Invasive species can also alter the abundance or diversity of species that are important habitat for native wildlife.”
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Osprey in Yellowstone National Park, Montana, USA
Holly Mandarich
Conservation status: Least Concern (Population increasing)
Mass: 3 lbs (Adult)
Scientific name: Pandion haliaetus
Wingspan in feet: 5 1/2 feet
Class: Aves
Domain: Eukaryota
Family: Pandionidae
The osprey, also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm in length and 180 cm across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.
Ospreys prefer habitats with plenty of shallow water where fish are plentiful. They often built nests on small islands or structures over bodies of water that are difficult for predators to get to. Manmade structures such as power poles and other stable structures are common nesting sites.
The osprey's diet is almost exclusively fish, a unique characteristic among raptors. They are opportunistic about the species of fish they catch, but they can only catch fish swimming within three feet (1 m) of the water's surface. They rarely take fish over 16 inches (40 cm) long.
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