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The Masters of the Sky! masters of the sky! |
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The peregrine falcon almost became extinct around 1939 when a man named Paul Muller invented a chemical that supposedly got rid of bugs, called DDT. DDT infected the bugs with a poison, then the pigeons and rabbits ate the bugs and the peregrines ate the rabbits and pigeons. Then the falcons were infected, and when they lay their eggs, the shells were so weak that they shattered when the parents sat on them.
All falcons love to build their nests on high cliffs or skyscrapers, instead of building a nest like normal birds they scratch the ledge, then add a few twigs. Both parents take care of the chicks, one at a time going out to hunt. When the chicks are old enough, the parents coax them out of the nest using food, then throwing it to them so they can learn to catch it midair.
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There are more then 50 different types of eagles; Bald eagle, Sea eagle, Golden eagle and the Black eagle are the more known ones. The Bald eagle, lives near lakes and eats mostly fish. The sea eagle lives near the ocean, the Golden eagles live in the mountains and the black eagle lives on the cliffs. One thing about the black eagle’s chicks is that they invented sibling rivalry, the older chick eats the younger one! Eagles are mostly solitary birds, only coming to meet during mating season. When they have chicks, both parents take care of them and prepare them for the world outside! It’s funny to see a eagle chick when they start to grow feathers, in some areas they have the soft downy fluff they were born with, in others they have tufts of feathers!
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To learn more about peregrine falcons go to: |
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To learn more about eagles, got to; |
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The Red –tailed Hawk is probably the worlds best known hawk. Its raspy voice used all over the world in cartoons and Movies to represent eagles and other birds of prey. The Red Tail Hawk is mostly found in meadows or feilds, it’s main food source is mice and other rodents, but in desperate times it will scavenge for food. It has long broad wings, and has a cream colored chest with a ring of dark feathers across it’s waist. The Red Tailed Hawk’s courting flight soars in a high and wide circle, then drops suddenly, comes back up almost as steep as the dive, repeats this a few times then flies to the female and they lock talons and spiral to the ground. The amount of eggs they lay is 1-5 as a clutch, both parents take care of the chicks. |
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To learn more about Red tailed Hawks go to: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-tailed_Hawk.html |
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To find out more about Vultures go to: |
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The King vulture an other Vultures are scavengers meaning they eat left over's and dead animals. Although they are not too attractive they do A LOT of help, if there were no Vultures we would be swimming in garbage! Some of the main types are: the King vulture, the Turkey vulture and the Condor. The most endangered Vulture and the most well known is the Condor. The Condor is nearing extinction because of the destruction of their habitat. Turkey Vultures, the most common type of vulture, do the weirdest thing when they are in danger, they barf at the danger’s feet, hoping to distract it with the putrid smell. Vultures are VERY helpful to our environment!!! |
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The kestrel is a close cousin of the Falcon, it is just a lot smaller. Kestrels have a unique way of hunting, they hover over their prey, suspended in air, then dive at the startled animal. The main food of a Kestrel is mice, small birds like sparrows and carcasses. These birds are small but were caught and tamed like falcons for hunting. It usually lives in in meadows and fields, where it can hunt for food. Although they look a lot like falcons their head is more blue and their breast is more a tawny color. |
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To learn more about kestrels go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kestrel |
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To learn more about Goshawks go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goshawk |
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Another type of hawk, the Goshawk is one of the biggest. It has a broad wingspan, a long tail which are perfect for gliding between the forest trees it lives in. they lay around April and May 2-3 in a clutch. Young are sometimes assaulted by predators like Bubo owls, but they are usually saved by a very aggressive parent on watch. Goshawks live in forests and might go extinct because of the destruction of their homes. |
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Now you know that these awesome birds need our help to survive, Will you help? |