Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to CHIL EagleCAM. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Discussion of other Raptor species; their anatomy, biology, ecology, etc.
Topic Started: Sep 16 2007, 11:04 AM (18,136 Views)
ostrich2
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Raptorman,Oct 12 2007
04:04 PM
Tameness, in my opinion, is the key to a enjoyable presentation for all concerned. The audience, the presenter and most importantly the birds. Anything less is disruptive, disrespectful and dangerous. To create the tameness needed requires time and knowledge. And the species used also affects greatly the tameness available when combined with the length of time in the wild. In other words, a wild bird takes greater time and experience to tame. Also, I believe, gender can have an affect on the process with females (especially previously wild are sometimes more challenging). In all cases certain "personalities" just don't adapt/tame as well. You need to respect the bird and the audience as well as organizers to not use birds that aren't tame enough to do "the work" or be a good representative of the species so the audience develops respect for the bird(s) and doesn't loose respect or develop a fear.


I wonder how to what degree the well trained raptor develops a perception and relationship to the human handler - I think when many of us think of tameness we tend to think of the word in terms of dogs or cats, and these species have an strong innate connection and emotional bond to humans. Of course the raptor doesn't have this, and it's natural instincts are much different. How would you characterize how the raptor perceives the relationship in your experience?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bea
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Just turning in part of our Quizz Assignment - still working on the rest :D

1. What does the word raptor mean?

The word 'raptor' comes from the Latin raptor (plunderer) and the French raptus (to seize and transport). The English words 'rapt,' 'rapture,' or 'enraptured' share these same roots.

[Latin, one who seizes, from rapere, to seize; see rapt.]
noun
A bird of prey.

2. What makes a bird a raptor?

They are hunting birds with keen eyesight and hearing, strong feet with sharp talons for grasping and killing prey, and curved beaks for ripping up their food. Raptors are not the only predators of the bird world, but they are the only ones that hunt with their feet!

3. List the different groups (common names) in the bird of prey family.

I'm skipping this one for now. (I'm assuming you mean names like Hawk, Eagle, Owl, etc...?)

4. How many times must a raptor reproduce itself for its species population to remain stable?

Gotta skip this one for now, too :blink:

5. What is the largest owl species?

The Snowy Owl, and may I say I think it is the prettiest, too!

6. What is the heaviest?

The Snowy Owl has the heaviest Coat of Feathers of any Owl Species in North America.
I'm not sure if that makes it the heaviest in overall weight? I would think so.

7. What is the smallest?

The Elf Owl - World's smallest owl - My Nat. Geo Bird Book for North America.

8. Can owls digest bone?

No. Owls do not digest fur, feathers, teeth and bone but periodically rid themselves of these in the form of regurgitated pellets.

9. Name two diurnal owl species?

Burrowing Owl
Snowy Owl

10. What characteristic allows the Great Horned Owl to be a natural predator of Skunks?

My first thought was that it could not smell anything.
I had to chuckle when I found this answer:

"Did you know that a great horned owl probably does not have a good sense of smell? It is one of the few predators that will actually kill and eat skunks. Taxidermists who stuff and mount dead owls often have to deodorize them first, because the bird smells so strongly of skunk!"

Okay, that's it for now :hair:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
SoCal Lady
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Bill,

I just looked up Shrike, on Wikipedia---- A Shrike impales its prey on thorns, so as better way to tear away flesh for eating and serves as a "larder", to keep prey in place, so as to return later for more dining.

In looking at the photo of a shrike, since their feet are small, talons are not available to hold onto prey for tearing of flesh to dine. Rather unusual adaptation using the impaling method, but I would think the Shrike loses a lot of unfinished meals to other birds, like ravens) if the Shrike leaves it in the "larder" for more than a few hours. Unless of course there are not other meat eating birds in the same habitat as the Shrike.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ostrich2
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
If I recall correctly (this is from memory), the shrike uses the impaling method as a way to store prey items that can later be retrieved, but it does not actually impale prey to kill them. In fact, the shrike's main predatory technique is that it is small and looks like a non-predatory passerine. It typically is able then to surprise prey and kill with a quick bite to the base of the neck.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bea
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Well, I could have done worse :lol:
This is a lot of fun Bill, and yes, I've learned a lot trying to find the answers to the quizz. Very educational, and, sometimes confusing too! As we said before, we have to be careful when researching on the internet. For question #7 for example (smallest owl), I came up with at least 4 different answers from the internet. Decided to go with my Nat. Geo Bird book on that one :lol: .
Question #5, I'm soo disappointed that I was wrong (here again, Internet research showed 3 out of 5 sites that named the Snowy, and not the Great Grey), so it is definetly tricky to find the right answers. But I still insist it's the prettiest one! rofl.
Number 8 was tricky too. After reading your answres, I did some more searches, and I finally did find one site (out of how many I don't know) who actually said yes, they do digest small bones. And now come to think of it, I could swear you mentioned it before to us also. So, I should'a known that one.
I started reading a little about the shrike. Wow, never knew birds would/could do that (impaling).

I'm looking forward to working on the next 10 questions.
Started on number 11, and although I can name a couple of "crepuscular" owl species, I'm having trouble "proving it" :lol:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ostrich2
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Raptorman,Oct 10 2007
06:22 AM
The Brisbane site has had a rough start this year. This is certainly not unheard of. Last year the pair fledged 3 young.


The first two eyasses unfortunately either didn't hatch or died after hatching, but fortunately the remaining one seems to be doing well so far. It is definitely showing significant growth and its crop seems to be full quite frequently, so perhaps they will still manage to fledge young this year.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ostrich2
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Raptorman,Oct 15 2007
11:07 PM
It is always advantageous for a surviving chick if there are no other mouths to be fed at the eyrie. It is hard on the spectators when they have been waiting for eggs to hatch and a new season of chick viewing and outside influences erase the opportunity.

It's certainly fair to say I think that we have seen this on the Saanich bald nest - on the SC nest there has only been one chick both years so there has been no competition and more than adequate food. We definitely saw when there were two eaglets on the Saanich nest that the going was tougher, especially for the smaller eaglet, although both fledged successfully in the end. This past year with Skye being the only eaglet on the nest, it was very rare that the eaglet was not well fed and the concerns about adequate food were almost nonexistent.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bea
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
ostrich2,Sep 21 2007
07:02 AM
Raptorman,Sep 17 2007
10:21 PM
16. What is the simplest way to tell an immature Bald Eagle from an immature Golden?
20. Name a species of hawk that is naturally very social and often hunts in groups.

For this one, I think the Harris hawks hunt in teams if my memory is correct? And as everyone who watched Bill's videos with the rescue eaglet will know the answer, the bald eagle's feathers do not extend down the leg all the way to the toes, whereas those of the golden eagle do.

Ostrich and/or Bill, do you still have the link to that video? I remember seeing it somewhere (maybe thru the Hancock site?) and would love to see it again if you don't mind posting it again?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Free Forums. Reliable service with over 8 years of experience.
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · What are your questions? · Next Topic »
Add Reply