cyndi

Crazy as a Coot

The American Coot (Fulica Americana) is a medium sized water bird that resembles a duck in shape, but has a short whitish chicken like bill. The body is a lovely deeply dark bluish gray which blends to black on the head and lighter gray on the chest and belly. Primarily a diving bird, it sits lower in the water than a duck. The whitish frontal shield rises between eyes that are a startling red. The legs are a greenish yellow and the feet are lobed instead of webbed. If you don’t know what lobed feet are click here to read about the Pied-billed Grebe’s feet and its relationship to flamingos in the blog “If It Looks Like a Duck”. A member of the usually shy Rail family, the coot is quite conspicuous in its preference for open water. Within the Rail family, the coot is sort of like the crazy old uncle that sits on the porch with his corncob pipe and shotgun, eccentric but loveable. While coots can exist in flocks peacefully, most are a bit more territorial than other water birds. Breeding season finds competitors bringing their A-game to the table. Territorial displays and vocalizations tell both competitors and threats to steer clear. Intimidation techniques include flapping the wings hard enough to rise out of the water and running towards the bad guy while screaming its head off. Coots are often vocal during the night as well as during the day. The voice of the coot is quite distinctive and consists of an assortment of grunts and cackling. Coots are strong flyers once on the wing, but require a “running start” to rise from the water. This explains the Coot’s preference for open [...]

By cyndi|December 14th, 2010|Categories: American Coot, Educational Articles, Wildlife Rescue|Tags: American Coot, Coot|0 Comments

Timberdoodle

We all have favorite foods, but is there one food that you’d love to eat 80% to 90% of the time for the rest of your life? The American Woodcock (Philohela minor) does….earthworms! A specialized adaptation of the beak allows the Woodcock to be the consummate earthworm hunter. The tip of the beak looks like an average pointed shorebird, but it’s not. The tip is flexible and sensitive. The upper manidble is flexible enough to grasp an earthworm without opening the beak. The Woodcock probes damp leaf litter to find the coveted earthworms. Bird guides can’t seem to agree on the description of the Woodcock. Some consider it a shore bird, well, it looks like a shore bird – sort of. But it doesn’t live at the beach. Others consider it an upland game bird - but it doesn't look like other gamebirds. The best compromise I found was “a shore bird that lives in the forest”. One of the more colorful nicknames is “Timberdoodle”. The Wildlife Center receives several of these each fall as they migrate from most of the eastern United States to Gulf Coast states. This bird is a voracious feeder with its favorite being, of course earthworms. The upper Gulf coast is right on the edge of the Woodcock’s year round territory and its wintering grounds in southern Texas. Unlike most birds, the Woodcock migrates in small groups at night! It is believed that they orient on the coastline or major rivers and then follow it to their preferred wintering ground. Most American birds form seasonal or lifelong monogamous pairs and the males either help with incubation or hunt for the female while she sits on the eggs. Not the Timberdoodle. Males [...]

By cyndi|November 17th, 2010|Categories: American Woodcock, Educational Articles, Wildlife Rescue|Tags: American Woodcock, Bird, Woodcock|0 Comments

Can You Hear Me Now?

The American Bittern (Botauru lentiginosus) is a one of the stockier and short legged members of the Ardeidae family which includes herons, egrets and bittern. This Nearctic species has a breeding range in Canada and northern United States to parts of central United States. They are solitary and prefer to hide in heavy reeds, cat-tails and grass around isolated bogs, marshes and flooded meadows. Bitterns can be found in both saltwater and freshwater marshes. It sports brown streaking with an appearance similar to immature night herons. The coloration is such an effective camouflage the bird simply melts into the reeds. Animals that use camouflage as their primary defense against danger freeze when spotted. The Bittern has an interesting adaptive behavior to hide; it stands motionless with its bill pointed upward and its body held in tightly while giving the appearance of a clump of reeds in the water. Once the Bittern decides that hiding won’t work, it puffs itself up and sways ominously to show how dangerous it is. The bird blends in perfect with the brown vegetation as it moves slowly with its bill held horizontal while eyes are focused downward to spot prey such as frogs, small snakes, fish, rodents and eels. They are generally crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk) and hunt along the margins of ponds in dense vegetation. The American bittern does not perch in trees but spends most of its time on the ground. Because the Bittern is shy and reclusive, it is more difficult to find in the wild than its family members the herons and egrets. You may not be able to see one, but their booming voice is quite loud and distinctive leaving no doubt [...]

By cyndi|November 9th, 2010|Categories: American Bittern, Wildlife Rescue|Tags: Bird, Egret, water bird, wetlands|0 Comments

If It Looks Like a Duck….

If it look like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it must be a….flamingo? The wonderful thing about research is that I learn things I didn’t know before and thanks to the internet, I don’t even have to leave my couch. When the Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) came into the Wildlife Center, I yawned…thinking it was just another water bird. The initial research didn’t change my opinion, but I wanted to know more about those bizarre feet. That question set off a cascade that led from the bird to advanced genetic analysis and biochemistry. Instead of simplifying the classification of animals, genetics has blown the roof off. It doesn’t help that dozens of “official” definitions exist for the concept of species. Most lay people will recite the “can interbreed and produce fertile offspring” definition we learned in grammar school. Add to the mix animals that form a “ring species”, Each “species” can successfully produce fertile offspring with the “species” close to it on the ring but not with “species” across from it on the ring. It becomes even more confusing since the number of kingdoms varies from 6 to 8 depending on the convention, so phylum, class, order, family, genus and species all become a bit fuzzy. Early naturalists grouped animals based on phenotype, or what they looked like. These days the assignment of a particular “group” of animals to a species is considered a hypothesis. The wheels really come off when talking about amphibians and more simple organisms – we won’t go there. Most “evolutionary trees” imply that animals that look alike trace back to a common ancestor. The fossil record clearly shows the same trait /adaptation frequently pops up. For example, webbed feet [...]

By cyndi|November 1st, 2010|Categories: Educational Articles, Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Wildlife Rescue|Tags: water bird, wetlands|2 Comments

A Thorny Problem

Horned lizards, commonly called “horny toads”, used to be a common sight in most of the United States. Children of previous generations may have even had one as a pet, these days it is illegal to posses them. Texas is home to two species; the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) and the Short Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandezi). They are both listed as threatened by Texas Parks and Wildlife and a “Species of Concern” by U.S. Fish and Wildlife. The Endangered Species Act provided a category known as “C2” which gave limited protection to species that U. S. Fish and Wildlife considered at risk. That category and its protections was eliminated in 1996. The Wildlife Center receives several of these interesting animals each year. While the Greater Houston area could support isolated populations, these animals were probably “pets” that were surrendered or “set free” to be found by others. The “lucky” Horned lizard arrives at the Wildlife Center dangerously dehydrated and malnourished. Horned lizards are very specialized eaters and as such are exceedingly difficult to maintain in captivity. Their status as threatened by Texas Parks and Wildlife requires Wildlife Rehab and Education notify authorities upon admission. First introduced to Europe in 1651 by the Spaniard Francisco Hernandez, they were considered sacred by the indigenous Indians. Astounded audiences were regaled with stories of blood jetting from the eyes. Fourteen sub-species have been described and eight can be found in the United States. Australia has its own spiny lizard called the Thorny Devil. Biologists originally thought they descended from a common ancestor, but genetic analysis has shown that the two lizards are examples of convergent evolution. Lizards on the two different continents independently evolved similar adaptations to exploit a [...]

By cyndi|October 25th, 2010|Categories: Educational Articles, Horned lizard, Wildlife Rescue|Tags: Horned lizard, horny toad, lizard, reptile|0 Comments

Later, Gator

Our dogs bring us all sorts of items; balls, newspaper, slippers and alligators! Imagine your surprise when your loving, faithful dog proudly drops a baby alligator at your feet. In the wetlands of Florida this isn’t an unusual occurrence, but in Texas the population of alligators is still low enough that personal interaction is usually limited. The big exception is Brazos Bend Park where the alligators are too numerous to count. Click here to learn more about this unique park. They are very visible on bright days during the fall and winter as they warm themselves in the sun. The American alligator is a textbook case of how protection of a species can allow it to recover from extinction. In 1967 it was determined that alligator would become extinct in much of its territory if intervention did not occur and it was placed under protection six years before the landmark Endangered Species Act. U. S. Fish and Game working with state agencies enforced this protection and with the help of alligator farms has allowed the populations to recover. It is one of the few species that has moved from the endangered list to the threatened list. Because of the alligator’s protected status the Wildlife Center contacted Texas Parks and Wildlife to inform them that we had one in our possession. It is not unusual for the Wildlife Center to receive species that must be declared to Texas Parks and Wildlife. Based on the size, we estimate that it was hatched this spring. The alligator will be over wintered and released in the spring when prey is plentiful and he won’t look as tasty. It is estimated that 80% of hatchlings do not survive to the [...]

By cyndi|October 21st, 2010|Categories: Alligator, Educational Articles, Wildlife Rescue|Tags: alligator, Wildlife Center of Texas|0 Comments

Making a Move to Houston?

Trends come and go. This year one of the big puzzles has been the dramatically higher numbers of adult and older juvenile Broad-winged Hawks (Buteo platypterus). Last year the numbers were up also, just not as dramatically. The Texas Gulf Coast usually sees these small hawks in the spring and fall as they migrate from their wintering grounds in Mexico down to South America to nesting grounds in most of the eastern United States. The greater Houston area is on the far western edge of traditional nesting grounds, so nesting pairs and their chicks isn’t unheard of, but is unusual. What is strange is that so many adult and older juvenile Broad-winged Hawks are finding their way to the Wildlife Center. Broad-winged Hawk are the size of a large crow and can be easily confused with older juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk at a glance. There are two color morphs; light which is the traditional hawk coloration and dark which is a deep sooty brown. The dark morph is extremely rare. The head and chest/belly bands are cinnamon brown. The wings are a solid darker brown with cream underneath. The tail is short and barred. In flight, the wings are broad and relatively short. The silhouette of the wing is uniquely pointed. They don’t seem to have a preference for the type of forest (deciduous vs. conifer) as long as it provides sufficient cover. They are rarely seen when nesting or wintering since they don’t tend to hunt open ground along the perimeter of forested areas. Instead, they ambush hunt from an advantageous perch. They also rarely hunt on the wing, so there are fewer opportunities to see this bird in the wild, EXCEPT during migration. During [...]

By cyndi|October 7th, 2010|Categories: Broad-winged Hawk, Educational Articles, Wildlife Rescue|0 Comments

We're Humming with Hummers!

It is the time of year that the tiniest of birds fill our Houston gardens with magnificent aerial displays as they fight for the best flowers and feeders. Many native plant gardeners thrill at the sights and sounds of these colorful jeweled fliers. While our Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the most numerous in the Houston area, other species occasionally visit. These hummers feed primarily on nectar but also eat insects and spiders. Many of our patients have smacked into windows or each other and need some supportive care as they recuperate. If you find one laying on the ground put it is a dark box and let it rest. You can try to pick it up and gently slide its beak in a hummingbird feeder to see if it drinks. It may need just a bit of sugar to give it the energy to fly off. If it does not feed and still cannot fly it may be time to bring it to the Wildlife Center. There are two primary reasons a hummingbird comes to the Wildlife Center. It is estimated that millions if not billions of birds dies each year after colliding with human-built structures. Glass windows and doors are transparent or reflective and are invisible killers. Birds see a tree reflected, not the glass. 75% of the Wildlife Center hummingbird patients are because of window strikes. The other primary cause of unnatural bird death is cats allowed outdoors. If possible PLEASE consider keeping your cat indoors. If not for the sake of the birds, then because you are putting your cat at risk for injury by dogs or cars and exposure to various diseases and parasites.

By cyndi|September 29th, 2010|Categories: Educational Articles, Hummingbird, Wildlife Rescue|Tags: Bird, Hummingbird, Wildlife Rehab & Education Center|0 Comments

Does Bird Feeder = Hawk Feeder?

When it comes to bird feeders it's always something. If it isn't the squirrels eating the seed, it is the hawks eating the birds. While we all know that hawks need to eat, we just don't want them dining at OUR bird feeders. The only way to truly make a feeder hawk proof would be to build a cage around your yard that has openings big enough for the birds, but too small for the hawks. Since that is clearly impractical what are the alternatives? For the last 14 years a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks has called the land around my house their territory. There have probably been many pairs, but there is always a pair claiming our yard as their territory. They scream out their territorial challenge from the abandoned Martin house in my neighbor's yard on a daily basis. Despite this there have been less than 5 instances where a hawk or other predator has taken a bird from my back-yard. Why? Maybe I got lucky with my feeder placement, but my neighbor hasn't complained about hawks taking his birds either. What do the placement of my feeder and my neighbor's feeder have in common? Absolutely nothing - and maybe that is the point. My yard has enough cover that straight line shots are minimized. My neighbor has several large trees, but they are grouped together leaving lots of straight line shots, especially from the abandoned Martin house. My theory is that I have physically made it harder for the hawks to snatch from my yard and my neighbor has made it psychologically more difficult because prey feel exposed and jumpy. Most hawks scope out potential food sources (i.e. your birds) from a nearby perch. [...]

By cyndi|September 26th, 2010|Categories: Educational Articles, Red Shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Songbirds, Wildlife Rescue|Tags: Bird, Dove, raptor, Red Shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk|0 Comments

Neotropic Cormorant

This Neotropic Cormorant was brought to the Wildlife Center by a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden. The bird presented with a wing droop and was very lethargic. Veterinarian exam and x-rays showed no breaks or swelling. The cormorant was put on cage rest and was given fluids. Several days later it was on its feet and eating great. The Neotropic Cormorant is very common on the Mexican border. The Galveston area also supports a large population. This cormorant is the only one that ranges over the entire tropical American region of Western hemisphere thus having the name neotropic. It was known as the olivaceous cormorant in earlier times. The neotropic is a blackish bird with a long tail that holds its neck in a S shape. The pointed posterior edge of the gular skin is often pointed with whitish border. Their bill is long with a hook on the end. Juvenile cormorant begin brown and slowly shift to black with their adult plumage. Cormorants swim well and dive for fish from the surface. The staff and volunteers know the cormorant at the center is feeling better because it is doing a great deal of vocalizing. This consists of a low gutteral pig-like grunt. Every time they hear it everyone’s head snaps to attention thinking someone just brought in a pig. Upon leaving the water the cormorants hold wings and tail open in a “spread eagle” fashion to dry them. And while holding the wings out to dry seems like a good idea, why do so few exhibit this trait, all sea birds and water birds get their feathers wet. Some researchs believe that the "spread eagle" pose is a method of themal regulation. Vultures often [...]

By cyndi|September 19th, 2010|Categories: Cormorant, Educational Articles, Wildlife Rescue|Tags: Bird, fish, fish eating, Galveston, Galveston County, Harris County, Houston, Neotropic, Neotropic Cormorant, release, rescue, sea bird, water bird, wetlands, wildlife, Wildlife Center, Wildlife Rehab & Education Center, WR&E Center, WR&E Wildlife Center|0 Comments

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