Archive for category: Species Profile

Scientific Name: Corvus brachyrhynchos, Corvus ossifagus

Common Name(s): American Crow, Fish Crow

©Wikimedia Commons © Rhododendrites

Identification:

Crows are large black birds with black feathers, black eyes, and a large black beak. They are common birds within their ranges and are generally easily identified. The common raven which can be confused with crows, is not found in Arkansas. The two species of crow found in Arkansas are the American crow and the fish crow. The American crow measures 16-20 inches in length, and weights 11-22 ounces, while the fish crow is smaller in both size and weight. There are other physical differences between the two species, however, it is very difficult and inconsistent to identify each species visually. Instead, the best way to differentiate these two species is by their calls. American crows call with the classic “caawww-caawww-caawww” that most people associate with crows, while fish crows call with a similar but much shorter and more nasally “ahh-ahh-ahh” sound. During calls, fish crows also tend to tilt the head back more noticeably and puff out the throat feathers

Range:

The species range of the American crow and the fish crow overlap in the southeastern and eastern United States. However, the American crow’s range extends over nearly the entirety of the lower 48 states, while the fish crow’s range is limited to the aforementioned southeastern and eastern United States.

Ecology:

Crows are omnivorous and will eat anything that is easily available. For example, they will consume carrion, all types of invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, small rodents, fish, nuts and seeds, grains, and human scraps. American crows are one of the few observed species of birds making and using tools to obtain food. Crows are intelligent and adaptable and will make their home in temperate forests near water, in agricultural field, or in urban areas.

While similar in appearance and diet, American crows and fish crows differ in their reproductive strategies. American crows are monogamous and form large family groups with juveniles from previous years staying with the group to assist in raising new hatchlings. Breeding starts early and egg laying has been observed as early as April. A clutch consists of 3-9 eggs, and there is 1, maybe 2, broods per year. Both males and females build nests. Sexual maturity is reached at two years of age, but many do not leave their family group until four or five years of age.

Fish crows are seasonally monogamous, with the female building the nests. Males may accompany females to gather nest material, but they do not participate in nest building. Breeding occurs in a similar time frame as American crows, with 2-6 eggs per clutch with one clutch per year. Although they are not as family group oriented as American crows, they will nest loosely together, with nests within 100 feet of each other.

Crows are very intelligent and very social. This leads to a number of interesting behaviors, such as young crows playing with objects to learn how to manipulate, birds teaching one another and sharing information such as food location and grouping together to ward off threats. Often American crows and fish crows will cooperate and socialize together, but in disputes, fish crows almost always yield to American crows. Crows also have an excellent memory and recognize faces and individuals. There are many documented cases of particular humans earning the ire of crows and subsequently being harassed by not only the offended crow, but other crows who were informed of the human’s wrongdoing. On the other hand, there are many cases of humans befriending crows which subsequently bring gifts to their human friends or harass other humans they perceive as threats to their human friends

Special Notes:

Here in Bella Vista, both American and fish crows can be observed, but American crows are more dominant. They can often be seen by roadsides scavenging for carrion. They may even visit bird feeders, if tempting enough!

Scientific Name: Sciuris carolinensis 
Common Name(s): Eastern grey squirrel, grey squirrel

© Tomfrieded

Identification:
The eastern grey squirrel is gray as the name implies with a white underside. The fur can sometimes have hues of brown. White and black color variations are possible and are more common in urban areas where predation is low as they are more visible to predators. Southeast Canada has a melanistic dark black morph that can tolerate colder climates. Grey squirrels are typically 9 to 11 inches in body length with a tail ranging from 7 to 10 inches. There is no difference in appearance between males and females. Their incisors undergo indeterminant growth, meaning they will continue to grow throughout their lives. The eastern gray squirrel can be distinguished from the fox squirrel by their white underside and generally smaller stature.  

Range:
The eastern gray squirrel is native to the eastern half of the U.S. and southeastern Canada.  

Ecology:
Grey squirrels prefer large dense deciduous oak-hickory forests with full, mature trees. However, they are adept at living in suburban and urban environments alongside humans. They create temporary nests called a drey. Dreys are large spherical collections of sticks and leaves usually in the fork of a tree. They are insulated with moss, thistledown, dried grass, and feathers. They can also den permanently in hollowed-out tree trunks or tree branches. Eastern gray squirrels sometimes share their drey or den with other squirrels to maintain body heat in the colder months. Eastern gray squirrels are the prey of many predators, including hawks, owls, bobcats, foxes, weasels, cats, dogs, snakes, and humans.

Grey squirrels are crepuscular, meaning they are active in the morning and evening. During these times, they actively forage and store food in caches. They maintain caches in many locations and use their accurate memory to locate their previously stored food sometimes many months later. Squirrels use smell to find their own caches or pilfer other squirrels’ caches. Smell relies on moist conditions, so it is not effective in dry or snowy environments. If grey squirrels observe another creature watching them while hiding their food, they will pretend to store the food in the cache but hide it in their cheeks instead and find a new spot. They consume hickory nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, and acorns. In urban areas, they steal birdseed from backyard bird feeders.

Grey squirrels live on average 6 years but have been known to live 12 years in the wild. They reach sexual maturity at 1 to 2 years of age. Mating seasons are from December to February and May to June. Females will typically raise 1 to 2 liters per year, with younger squirrels raising only one liter in the spring and more mature females producing liters in spring and summer. The presence of fertile males in an area will induce females to undergo estrus. In addition, if a mother squirrel loses her young, she will undergo estrus, which can attract males from up to 500 meters away. Gestation takes 44 days. Young are born blind, with closed ears, and without hair. Litter size is typically 1 to 4, but up to 8 kits. Young leave their mothers at 12 weeks of age.

Special Notes:
Here in Bella Vista, grey squirrels are found everywhere. They are adept at pilfering food from bird feeders. Close association with people also provides some protection from predators. Some may even become unwanted house guests, making nests in attics or sheds. They are a very prolific species, providing food for many predators.

Scientific Name: Tamias striatus
Common Name(s): Chipmunk, Eastern chipmunk

©Gilles Gonthier

Identification:
The chipmunk is a small rodent with grayish to reddish brown fur and a distinguishing yellowish to reddish patch on its rump. They have stripes along their body, which distinguishes them from most other rodents. The chipmunk has five lengthwise dark brown to blackish stripes running from shoulders to rump, each with white fur down the middle. They have a furry tail, which is longer than the chipmunk’s body. They grow to around 12in in length, including the tail, and 2-5oz in weight. Eastern chipmunks have large cheek pouches located on either side of their mouth.

Range:
Tamias striatus is native to the eastern half of the U.S. and southeastern Canada. They can be found throughout the Ozarks and most of Arkansas.

Ecology:
Eastern chipmunks live in open deciduous wooded areas, edges of woodlands, and urbans areas. They prefer to live in rocky areas, areas with brush/log piles, or tickets of shrubs to use as refuge from predators. Chipmunks’ diet is primarily composed of nuts, acorns, bulbs, fruits, berries, seeds, and mushrooms. They also will eat insects, bird eggs, snails, and small immature mammals. Chipmunks build very elaborate underground burrows with multiple entrances. Chipmunks are highly defensive of their burrows and will camouflage them with leaves, sticks, and rocks.

Chipmunks are most active during the warm seasons of summer, spring, and fall. During the winter chipmunks do not fully hibernate but will undergo torpor, waking every couple of weeks to eat some of their food reserves. Chipmunks are adept climbers but mostly forage on the ground. Chipmunks spend most of their time actively foraging throughout the day but are most active in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Food is stored in a cache underground. Caches are marked with olfactory (scent) cues which can be more easily pilfered in moist environments. Therefore, the eastern chipmunks store food in larger caches that can be more easily defended. Sometimes chipmunks may forget about some caches which is beneficial since the seeds will produce plants and provide future food for the chipmunk.

Chipmunks are very solitary except during breeding season by which social interactions are relatively peaceful. Breeding usually occurs twice a year between April and May, and July and August. Females will mate with multiple partners and will stay close to their burrows. Males will widen their home range during mating season and can travel up to 170 meters (~550 feet) to find mates. During each breeding season, chipmunks have between four and five young. Gestation takes 35 days, and they are born blind and hairless. Females wean their young at about 4 weeks and make a new burrow to live in thereafter. Young chipmunks disperse from their burrow about 8 weeks after birth. Females live relatively close to their birth burrow, but males venture further away to set up their territory. Chipmunks reach sexual maturity at about 1 year of age and will live up to 3 years in the wild. They serve as a food source for hawks, owls, foxes, racoons, snakes, weasels, coyotes, bobcats, dogs, and cats.

Special Notes:
Here in Bella Vista, chipmunks can be a welcome guest in our yards. They especially like stone walls and may burrow under porches or walkways. These burrows do not typically cause structural damage and may be a good way to churn and aerate soil. They may also keep other pests at bay, such as insects and garden snails.

Scientific Name: Cathartes aura
Common Name(s): Turkey Vulture, Turkey Buzzard, Buzzard, John Crow, Carrion Crow

©Charles J. Sharp

Identification:
The turkey vulture is the most widespread of the New World vultures. They are large, black birds with a wingspan of 63–72 inches, a length of 24–32 inches, and weight of 1.8-5.3 pounds. When soaring overhead, the wings have a two-toned gray and black appearance. Turkey vultures often hold their wings in a shallow “V” and rock from side to side when soaring. Adults have a featherless red head. Young birds have a blackish-gray head. Their feathers are brownish black. The flight feathers on the wings appear to be silvery gray on the underside, which contrasts with the darker wing linings, so they are easy to identify in flight. It also has a relatively short, hooked, ivory-colored beak. The irises of the eyes are gray-brown, and their legs and feet are pink-skinned. A turkey vulture’s feet are arranged with three toes forward and one back. The two front toes of the foot are long and have small webs at their bases. Overall a turkey vulture has flat feet that are not adapted for grasping. In flight, the tail is long and slim. The turkey vulture has very few vocalizations, but they can hiss or grunt when they are threatened or hungry, respectively.

Range:
Cathartes aura is found from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America.

Ecology:
The turkey vulture is a scavenger and feeds mostly on dead animals. It finds its food using its sharp eyes and sense of smell, so when it is flying low enough, a vulture can detect the gasses produced by decaying animals. Turkey vultures can be found in a variety of habitats, such as pasture and grasslands, forests, shrublands, deserts, and wetlands. They prefer open areas with nearby woods for nesting, but they generally avoid heavily forested areas. They migrate to the southern United States and Central America for the winter.

Vultures are found in flocks and are community animals. They nest in caves, hollow trees, or thickets. They only use the caves for nesting during breeding season. Breeding season for vultures varies by latitude with southern latitudes breeding begins in March, while in more northern latitudes breeding starts later. Courtship rituals of the turkey vulture involve several individuals gathering in a circle, where they perform hopping movements around the perimeter of the circle with their wings partially spread. In the air, one bird closely follows another while flapping and diving. Each year a turkey vulture breeding pair usually raises two offspring. The eggs of a turkey vulture are cream-colored, with brown or lavender spots. Both parents incubate, and the young hatch after 30-40 days. Both adults feed the chicks by regurgitating food for them. The young leave the nest at about nine to ten weeks, but family groups stay together until fall.

Adults are almost exclusively carrion feeders, but there have been localized populations that have adapted to feed on newborn livestock, primarily lambs and calves. Vultures are likely attracted to the afterbirth and are opportunistic feeders of the helpless newborn.

There are very few natural predators to the turkey vulture. However, turkey vultures at any stage in life may be prey to great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, and bald eagles, while eggs and fledglings may be preyed on by raccoons and opossums. A turkey vultures primary form of defense is regurgitating semi-digested meat, which deters most creatures from raiding a vulture nest.

Special Notes:
Vultures are widely known as harbingers of death. Chinese tradition believes the vulture to be the only animal that can see both heaven and earth, so they are on omen for those who are about to die. Vultures are widely seen as a symbol for Halloween. On the contrary, some African cultures view vultures as messengers form the afterlife who bring joy to loved ones by delivering their souls back home. Some cultures even view vultures as a sign of rebirth.

Vultures have benefitted in more modern times from events held in their name. The Hinckley Buzzard Day event in Hinkley, Ohio marks the March return of vultures to northeast Ohio and the arrival of spring. Also, the small town of Makanda in southern Illinois hosts the annual Vulture Fest in October each year. Again, the symbolism of rebirth (spring) and death (autumn) is evident here.

Vulture chicks from Lake Ann 04-08-2021

Here in Bella Vista, turkey vultures can be seen scavenging on roadkill and other carrion. Although scavenging may not give them a good reputation, it plays a valuable role in reducing disease in the ecosystem. In areas of the world, such as Asia, where scavenger populations are declining there is an associated increase in diseases like rabies and other harmful viruses. Be thankful turkey vultures can serve as a cleaning crew to our scenic roadways! However, over population of vultures can also cause problems. As a nuisance animal, they can tear up boat and vehicle upholstery and window linings and defecate on personal property. In the fall and winter, congregations of up to 400 individuals can be observed.

Bufo (Anaxyrus) americanus & Bufo (Anaxyrus) fowleri- American & Fowler’s Toad

Scientific Name: Bufo (Anaxyrus) americanus & Bufo (Anaxyrus) fowleri
Common Name(s): American Toad & Fowler’s Toad

©Cephas & ©Christina Butler

Identification:
The American and Fowler’s toads look very similar. Both toads typically have a gray or brown coloration and are 2-3.5 inches long. American toads are sexually dimorphic, which in this case means the males are smaller than the females and have darker throats during the breeding season. The Fowler’s toad has a light stripe down it’s back, but that can be hard to see. A great way to differentiate between the two toads is by counting the number of bumps inside the dark splotches on their bodies. American toads have one or two bumps per splotch, while Fowler’s toads have three or four bumps per splotch. Also, the belly of the Fowler’s toad is usually all white, unlike the American toad’s belly, which is white with black spots. Interestingly, these two species of toads can hybridize making it difficult to identify if they are in the same geographical range.

American (left) and Fowler’s Toad Ranges

Range:
Bufo (Anaxyrus) americanus are one of the more widely distributed Bufo species in North America. Their range extends from Manitoba, parts of Ontario and Quebec, the Maritime Provinces, and southern Newfoundland in the north to Kansas and the Dakotas in the west. Their habitat stretches down across the southeastern United States, but the American toad’s range does not reach Florida. Bofu (Anaxyrus) fowleri is native to the eastern United States, but they are not found in the Coastal Plains of South Carolina, Georgia, or Florida.

Ecology:
The American and Fowler’s toads eat mostly invertebrates, but while the American toad will eat worms, Fowler’s toads will not. Both species of toad can be hunting for their food at night near shallow waters, which they use to breed. American toads are highly adaptable and can be found in almost every habitat, while Fowler’s toads are commonly found only in forested habitats.

Toads produce toxins to protect themselves against predators, but some predators have adapted to tolerate the chemicals in the toxin. Even in the egg and tadpole stage of development these species secrete a toxin to deter predators. American and Fowler’s toads will crouch and stay still to camouflage to avoid predation by those who have adapted to the toxin. The eastern hognose snake is tolerant and specializes in eating American toads.

Breeding in both species of toads usually begins in April, which is marked by a trill call of the male toad to attract a female. Females from both species choose their mate by the male’s call and the quality of breeding territory he possesses. After mating the female American toad lays 4,000-8,000 eggs in two rows, and each row spans from 20-66 feet long. The female Fowler’s toad can lay up to 12,000 eggs. Depending on the temperature, the development of Fowler’s toad tadpoles is a bit slower than that of the American toad if it is cold. Both species of toads reach maturity after two years. While longevity is not in the cards for most toads, some American toads can live to 10 years old, and there is a record of a captive American toad living for 36 years. Fowler’s toads do not fare as well in the wild, only living up to four years.

Special Notes:
Here in Bella Vista, both toads are found near our lakes and streams. Even if you cannot see them, you can identify the toads by their trilling calls. The Fowler’s toad has a short, buzzy, nasal trill that doesn’t last for more than four seconds, while the American toad has a similar trill that is less nasally and lasts from 5-30 seconds or more. It is also likely to have Fowler’s toads living around houses and gardens.