Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: American Golden-Plover

A little smaller than the Black-bellied Plover with a small head and bill, the American Golden-Plover is a High Boreal Forest breeder.

There is a strong male bias to certain breeding territory, to which they will return for many years.

Often migrating with American Avocets and the Back-bellied Plover in the spring, its route of migration is circular, whereby they will return to the breeding grounds by a mainland route.  In the fall, it will fly offshore from the east coast of North America right to its wintering ground in central and southern South America.  However, with juveniles, it is often a different story.

These medium-sized plovers are long-distance migrants travelling between the tundra of Alaska and Canada to as far south as Brazil and Argentina for the winter months.  Not only does it have the largest breeding range of any American bird, they can fly up to 20,000 miles every year, going nonstop over the Atlantic Ocean for as much as 3500 miles.  Less than half a pound, they are the speediest flying shorebird reaching speeds of 60 mph.  In order to survive these grueling flights, they may keep seeds in their digestive tract, much like the effects of timed-release vitamins.

                                                    American Golden-Plover (Right)
                                                          Boomer Lake Park, 2013

Primaries extend well beyond the tail, and they sport a stockier appearance.  Their foraging behavior is a stop-start-run behavior, and then it will relocate elsewhere.  Their unusual capture of prey is with just a single stab of the bill.

Juveniles migrate after the adults, when they come through the Great Plains in late summer to early fall.  Some of the earlier migrating adults will arrive in their southern haunts before the juveniles have even left the tundra.

Expect these birds coming through the Great Plains in the next week to ten days.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: King Rail

These birds have a long, large decurved bill with some plumage differences in comparison to the Clapper Rail.  The coloration is more rich with a rufous upperwing.  There is also more black upperwing center with very bold flank barring.

These rails are much less common than the Clapper Rail, yet they share similar habitat, fresh as well as brackish reedy or grassy marshes where they are very secretive.  They have a nickname of marsh hen or freshwater marsh hen for this reason.  They would rather swim short distances than fly across marsh openings.  The calls are also much slower than the Clapper Rail, and the sound has been compared to the "tchuk-tchuk" calls of a stagecoach driver.

The diurnal King Rail will nest in the same area for years, and they are known to hybridize with the Clapper Rail.  The species will nest upon the ground or in the branches of the buttonbush or similar wetland shrubs.  The ground nests are concealed with a grassy semicircular or cone-shaped roof with a ramp leading to it.  It is hidden by a clump of grass just above the water.  The adults molt after nesting and will be flightless for about a month.

                                                                      King Rail
                                                        McCurtain County, OK 2016

In tidal marshes, they will feed at low tide or in shallow water where only a portion of the bill is below the surface of the water.  If they should feed away from water, they will often take their insects to the water, where they will dunk them before consuming.  They will regurgitate small pellets in owl fashion containing exoskeletal material, small crab shells, etc.

The freshwater marsh hen population appears to be declining due to loss of wetland habitat, vehicles running them over during breeding season, and pesticides.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Sora

A quail sized, stocky bird that has a high whinny can be found in any wet marshy location, like a cattail or grassy marsh.  They can be seen along edges of marshy vegetation or walking upon shallow water or mud near vegetation.

The late-moving Sora should be heading south in a week or two through Oklahoma, and bear in mind that it could be difficult to see, as they don't always come out of the vegetation, but it is very possible to hear one.  They will also use flooded fields, brackish marshes, ditches, and wet pastures.

This small water bird or rail,  is somewhat secretive and it might only show its yellow bill.  It also walks slowly like a chicken in the reedy grasses, and the short tail is frequently cocked upward.  The black mask and long toes are vey distinctive, and the body is mottled gray and brown.  The toes are used to rake vegetation so that they might locate snails, beetles, grass, rice, or sedge.  Don't let their shape fool you, as they can be speedy when they choose to do so.

                                                                      Sora (rear)
                                                         Estero Llano Grande, TX 2017

Some of these crakes winter along our southern coasts and others go as far as South America.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Wilson's Snipe

Stocky and long-billed, Wilson's Snipe is darker than a dowitcher, crouches more, and there is a dark stripe through the eye with lighter stripes both above and below the dark one.  They also have a white belly, dark underwings, and barred flanks.

It feeds by jerky, vertical probing and can be very inconspicuous along grassy pond edges.  They usually fly fairly high above flooded stubble fields, then suddenly plunge down to land within cover.  Depending solely on wetlands and avoiding dense, tall vegetation, this migrant will winter in both sugarcane and rice fields.

Usually found rather far from a shoreline, the breeding-aged male will stand atop fenceposts or snags bleating for a mate.

This game bird is actually quite difficult to hunt as a normal game bird.  "Sniper" actually was coined regarding this species due to its furtive nature and camouflage.  This robust shorebird will actually zigzag away when flushed.  The eyes, which are set back on the head permit binocular vision to the rear as well as superb peripheral vision (to the sides).

                                                                     Wilson's Snipe
                                                         Sooner Lake Power Plant, 2015

Once known as the Common Snipe, which is actually a separate breed in the Old World, makes an interesting drumming sound during a rapid descent from great heights.  This is caused by the wind creating rapid movement when the outer tail feathers vibrate, and is part of the species' courtship display.  It is called winnowing, and can be part of the male's or the female's repertoire.  They both will also feign a broken wing to protect the nest site, like the Killdeer.

To actually differentiate between the European Common Snipe and Wilson's, is the fact that the common has a wide white trailing edge to the wings and seven pairs of tail feathers as opposed to eight on the Wilson's.

They usually feed around dusk and dawn, sleeping the better part of the day.  One of the strongest fliers despite their ungainly appearance, they cruise at a speed of around sixty miles per hour.

Many of these birds are killed during cell/radio/television tower, building, and lighthouse strikes.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Baird's Sandpiper

This sandpiper has scaled patterns on its uppers, has buffy tones, and is generally paleheaded.  It usually has other peeps near, but tends to forage upon drier substrate.  It is very rare to find it on wet mudflats or in the water.  Baird's Sandpiper will be found as a migratory bird in the western three-quarters of the country.  It will winter from Peru to southern Argentina as a bind in dry, grassy areas near wetlands and ponds.

A medium sized shorebird, its black legs match its bill, and it is known as a peep or a stint, as are other small shorebirds.

Named after Spencer Fullerton Baird, once employed by the Smithsonian Institution and a 19th century naturalist, not only was he a museum curator, but he was well versed in nature and the expansion of the museum's collection of specimens so that we might all enjoy them.

These birds do not probe looking for food, instead picking their chosen morsels right from the surface of the ground.  The young will continue to feed mostly on insects, but they also take small crustaceans.

                                                             Baird's Sandpiper
                                                             Fort Supply 2016

In fall, adults fly from the High Arctic breeding grounds right into the Great Plains via a narrow route.  Conversely, young birds who were abandoned by their parents to migrate alone will fan out in a much broader swath, and could well even visit both the Atlantic and Pacific coastal areas.  In the spring, they will take the direct route to the breeding grounds instead of adding the extra coastal mileage.

Both Baird's and the White-rumped Sandpiper have wingtips that extend beyond the tail's end and often cross it.  If visiting a beach during migration, they are generally seen above the wrack-line, which is where debris is found after being deposited by high tide.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Common Merganser

This merganser is often confused with the Red-breasted Merganser, but is it heavier and has a thicker bill.  The non-breeding adult also has a very contrasting white patch under the chin and at the throat.  In flight, it also shows more body white.

A large duck of mountains, lakes, and rivers, the Common Merganser is a tree, under tree root, nest box, or crevice nester that eats fish or other invertebrates.  They commonly will form a semicircle, forcing fish into the shallower water, making it easier to capture them.  These elegant birds are striking, with an unusual appearance that gives them a name for bad hair days.  They tend to sit low in the water, and besides the attractive colors, they have a serrated bill that they use for holding onto assorted seafood.  These diving ducks will winter as far south as Mexico, and at one time or another spend some of their time within the US keeping away from waters that freeze.




               Common Merganser in Cardiff
                           123rf.com

The male will abandon the family once the young hatch, and the female will stay with them for about a week after they fledge.  There is a photo on the internet that shows a female Common Merganser with 76 young, but most of these were adopted or just temporarily in her care.  A hen will lay up to a dozen or so eggs.  These birds utilize a creche system, which is basically a day care center where a matriarchal female is in charge of overseeing the young.  The sawbill becomes sexually mature at two years of age.

This species is climate threatened, and like many others are expanding their range in a northeasterly direction.

These ducks have been known to swallow large fish nearly a foot in length, and in the winter, these ducks can form large rafts.  They don't move well on land, but when forced to run from a predator, they often take an upright position.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Lesser Yellowlegs

tu-tu

The best way to establish an identity on this bird is to remember that its shorter bill is about the length of its head.  It is also a sandpiper with a thin build, seemingly more delicate than the Greater Yellowlegs.  Primary feathers also extend to the end of the tail.  It also favors only one or two syllable phrases with a softer sound, whereas the greater utters three and four syllable phrases and it is more high pitched.

The Lesser Yellowlegs also prefer shallower water that is more grassy and less open.  They can be either solitary or in the company of other groups, often mixing with the Greater Yellowlegs, who migrates a little later.

This medium sized, long yellow legged shorebird often runs through shallow water seeking its prey in order to feed.  Its bill is also black year round and appears to be straight, whereas the Greater Yellowlegs bill is sometimes upturned.

                                                                  Lesser Yellowlegs
                                                             Boomer Lake Park, 2017

These neotropical migrants breed in the Boreal forest between Alaska and Quebec, nesting upon the ground.  Some of the birds will migrate as far as South America, but many will winter along the Gulf coast in either fresh or salt water habitat.

Both the male and the female provide care for the young, but the female often leaves the male to raise the young before they can fly.  He must then feed and defend them alone.

These shorebirds will also be affected by climate change.  They will start breeding further north, as well as wintering more north, possibly even in Oklahoma.  Their northern winter range appears to be traveling more north and east.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Franklin's Gull

Presently on the move through the Plains States, Franklin's Gull has smaller black tips on the primaries than other look-alike gulls.  Note the whitish hindneck and the dark half-hood, which is more extensive than the Laughing Gull on a first winter bird, along with a clean white underwing.  A second winter bird could have a little more wingbar black than an adult.  Its call is also less penetrating than the Laughing Gull.

Commonly referred to as a bird of the prairies, the Prairie Dove will often follow field plowing operations to snatch mice, insects and worms.



                          Franklin's Gull
                            Audubon.org

These omnivores are migratory breeders in central Canada to our northern states, wintering in western South America and the Caribbean.  They are uncommon coastal birds in the US, breeding in colonies near prairie lakes, wetlands, or sloughs on the ground or floating in the water.  If they choose to build a floating nest, it gradually sinks due to penetration of water and must have fresh material added daily.  Older birds will also add to it while parents are still breeding.

Populations will fluctuate with rainfall and drought, so since marsh conditions can change yearly, thus will the breeding birds.

Named after Sir John Franklin, an explorer of the Arctic, this neotropical migrants was first called the Franklin's rosy gull, after its colorful belly and breast.  Early area settlers in the prairie states called it the prairie dove.

It is expected that climate change will also affect this gull, sending its breeding colonies north toward the Hudson Bay of Canada, and possibly out of the US altogether.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Canada Warbler

This attractive, small warbler is uncommon within shaded deciduous undergrowth in mature forest along low, thick areas and many times along streams.

The necklaced warbler spends less time on the Boreal breeding grounds than most warblers, arriving late and leaving early.  It has also been known to breed along the Appalachians as far south as Georgia.  Due to overbrowsing by deer, deforestation, the wooly adelgid (a killer of hemlock and spruce), this passerine has been losing numbers.  In the Andes, where a large portion of these neotropical migrants overwinter, loss of habitat is hurting them on the opposite end of the spectrum.

As a strong flycatcher, it will flush insects while foraging along leaves and twigs, then darting out to catch escaped protein.  Also watch the ground, as they will forage among the leaves there,  Within dense foliage is can usually be located from a couple of feet from the ground to the higher canopies.  It will feel the effects of climate change as the years pass, and loss of forest due to clear cutting will take its toll.



               Canada Warbler
      Wikipedia/William Majoros

The male will have a darker necklace and a longer tail than the female.  They really are not dimorphic.  This passerine has thicker spectacles than most warblers, and fresh spring coloring will show a bright yellow chest, belly, and throat, as well as a dark gray back.  While nesting, they are often a Brown-headed Cowbird host.

Look carefully for the necklace, which will keep one from identifying it as a Magnolia Warbler and if there is a yellow throat, ID as a Yellow-throated Warbler.  During the fall, it is not difficult to determine the identity of this bird.  The adult male will show strong similarity to the spring male, but sometimes slightly duller with fringing upon the crown.  The female adult will have an olive cast to her upperparts, missing the black in her plumage.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Palm Warbler

This long tailed tail-pumper is a ground forager that breeds in the Boreal Forest of Canada and the northeastern US.  As breeders in the north, they will use evergreen trees and dense cover in boggy habitat.   Similar to a pipit, it can be helpful to confirm the identity with the yellow around the vent and rump as well as the white corners on the tail.  For a warbler, they are on the larger side and have a rounder belly.

Its song is a buzzy trill with a common chek call.  During fall migration, it will often be seen with kinglets, sparrows, Pine, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.  As migrants and winter birds, this songbird will be seen along forest edges, weedy fields, parks, coastal scrubland, and with scattered trees and shrubbery.  The New World Warbler is normally found in the western two thirds of the US, and is called either the Brown Palm Warbler or the Western Palm Warbler.  The Eastern Palm Warbler will be located in the eastern third of the US.

They constantly bob the tail, are on the ground more than other warblers, and are fond of berries as well as protein, sometimes being seen hawking insects if in a tree or on a shrub.  They are more at eye level or below, rather than higher canopies like many other warblers.

                                                          Western Palm Warbler
                                                         Boomer Lake Park, 2018


Palm Warblers are frequently victims of collisions with lighted towers.  It is also suspected that since the better part of these neotropical migrants breed in the Boreal Forest, they are losing population due to peat (moss) harvesting, logging, and tar sands development.

The species will use feeders if they find native plants and a good water source.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Clay-colored Sparrow

buzz-buzz

This common migratory sparrow is similar to a Chipping Sparrow, but more buffy overall and paler.
Since we will see it (as a non-breeding bird in the fall), it sports a clean gray nape, a strong dark mustache, a pale eyering, pale lores, and a buffy breastband.

As shrubland and field edge breeders, these passerines will visit Christmas tree farms and grass areas with short and scattered coniferous trees.

                                                     Clay-colored Sparrow, fall plumage
                                                              Boomer Lake Park, 2016

Wintering in southern Texas and south, as well as breeding in the north central US and the western Boreral Forest, it passes through the prairie and Great Plains states.  In the winter, if one travels to those regions, it can be found in the company of White-crowned, Brewer's, and Chipping Sparrows along upland plains, brushy hillsides, and fields.

Fond of shrubs and forbs, they will dine upon soapberry, mesquite, mustard, and spiders, small insects, as well as moths.  Brushy areas of streams and rivers can be a favored location to locate them, where they will be observed hopping under thickets.  This is a fabulous hot spot during their migratory period.

They are parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird during breeding season, which could be attributed to their slight population decline.

For More Clay-colored Sparrow Photos, See:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2017/05/pre-and-post-storm-events.html

Oklahoma Winter Bird Profile: Vesper Sparrow

Half the state will see the Vesper Sparrow as a winter resident (in the southern half) and the northern half will see it as a migrant.

As a short grass prairie breeder it often perches on barbed wire or small trees, not mixing with other sparrow species in the Northern US and Canada.  In the winter, it can be found in loose flocks upon agricultural fields or dry and sparsely vegetated pastures.  It is best to look for them in full song at that time, as they are at their least shy during the breeding season.

Rarely observed, it has a small red shoulder patch, thin white eyering, flashes white outer tail feathers while in flight, and sings a sweet series of trills within the vespers of twilight.

They will quickly settle in abandoned farm fields and old mines as they revert to their forest stature.

These ground dwellers and nesters scratch upon the ground and take frequent dust baths.  After the breeding season, they will migrate south and forage with mixed sparrow species that include Brewer's, Savannah, and Grasshopper Sparrows, as well as the Lark Bunting.

                                                                  Vesper Sparrow
                                                          Boomer Lake Park, 2015

Populations are declining to some degree due to likely loss of grassland habitat, frequent mowing of fields, early harvest, and hedgerow removal.  Certain populations could become threatened or endangered due to this continued activity in the eastern ranges, but in general, they are still a species of low concern.  They enjoy meadows with open soil, stubble fields, and grassy areas above sandy beaches.

They are rather early spring migrants and return later in the fall.  They usually have been peaking in May and October.

Oklahoma Winter Bird Profile: Savannah Sparrow

Similar to some subspecies of Song Sparrow, the usual yellow wash on the lores of the Savannah Sparrow is usually present.  The eyebrow also shows paler tones, the bill is pinkish and smaller, and there is evidence of a crest.  Savannah is usually thinner and less robust, and will form loose flocks in winter, away from other sparrow species.  It is generally available in open fields, perched upon weeds or fences, perhaps atop the ground.  They are also less likely seen in brushy habitat, enjoying marshes and fields.

One of the first species of this bird was found in Savannah, Georgia, hence its name.  Pacific and Mexican breeders are resident, and the remainder are migratory birds.  Oddly Alaskan and interior races are the palest, and coastal southwest birds are the darkest of all species.

                                                               Savannah Sparrow
                                                          Boomer Lake Park, 2015

There are many regional variations of this bird, both subspecies and forms.  The Ipswich is larger with pink-brown streaks, and very pale gray.  They winter on the east coast and breed in Maritime Canada.

Belding's is a Mexican/Southern California bird with a very thin median crown stripe and darker overall with heavier streaking.

The Large-billed is a Mexican subspecies that rarely crosses the border, and has a heavy, large bill.

Forms include the grayish typical adult with fine streaking, a streaked back minus the scaled pattern, and a short notched tail.  The reddish typical adult has a small bill with reddish streaking on the sides.

There are and were other subspecies, which we will not cover, as the likeliness of seeing them will generally be a moot point unless one intends to become a sparrow specialist.

Due to the fact that these birds nest on or near the ground, most farmers in the north or west will do a late mow of their fields in order to keep these populations as least concern.

I mention all subspecies and forms as they are so varied, and it would be wise to record their images if possible to aid in identification.  This sparrow will not be cut and dry, so next discussed will be the Song Sparrow in the series.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Piping Plover

Since 1957 the Piping Plover has been visiting Oklahoma.  Its first eBird recorded sighting was at Moffett Bottoms in Sequoyah County.  Expanding over the years, this led to multiple reports in 2018, including its first appearance at Meridian Technology Ponds on 04-25-18 in Stillwater.  Its first occurence on The Panhandle was in 1995 at Optima Reservoir.

Since there is a large breeding cluster just north of Oklahoma and into the Boreal Forest area, it is not unusual that the most northern birds make a short pit stop in various locations within Oklahoma.   Migration begins in August for some of the plovers, and by mid-September, most of them are in their winter range, which is the Caribbean, the south Atlantic coast, and the Gulf of Mexico.

In the 1900s, this little shorebird suffered the effects of the millinery trade.  Then in the 1940s, the species rebounded, only to be knocked down again after World War II.  Fortunately for many species, the Migratory Treaty Bird Act of 1918, and the subsequent Endangered Species Act of 1986 afforded them a much better chance on the east coast.



                           Piping Plover
                      wildlife.ohiodnr.gov

This wee plover was named for its most plaintive whistle, sharing a beach habitat with the Least Tern, Wilson's Plover, and the Black Skimmer.  Nesting in scrapes like many shorebirds, the adult modus operandi is the broken wing display to avert danger to themselves.  Plover chicks resemble cotton balls on legs, and have also been compared to wind-up toys.

The only way to tell the adult male from he female is the fact that he has a thicker chest band than the female during breeding season.  They blend very well with sandy beaches, so if the bird is on the move, it will sooner be observed than the stationary example.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Black Tern

kef, kip,or kyip

Smaller than most terns, but slightly larger than the Least Tern, the Black Tern has dark gray wings and back, and a buoyant flight on broad wings.  For breeding plumage, they have a black body.

Though uncommon and local, migrants can be found on any body of water from open ocean to marshes.  It is found quite frequently all over Oklahoma during times of spring and fall migration.

Some local populations are declining due to wetland degradation with cattail growth, draining and agricultural growth in wetlands, invasive or exotic fish species, lake acidification, overfishing, and pesticides.  Eutrophication is another problem that will only increase, and this is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus obtained from fertilizer runoff.  This depletes oxygen for fish, which the Black Tern depends upon for minor food sources, but it does depend a great deal upon insects.  Of course, these chemicals result in excessive water plant growth and that also causes oxygen depletion for the ecology of this tern.

                                                                        Black Tern
                                                         Boomer Lake Park, May 2017

Breeding habitat is in the Northern US and across Canada in small to large freshwater marshes containing emergent vegetation and areas of open water.  The species nests semi-colonially in this vegetation, particularly cattail rootstalks.  Muskrat houses are occasionally used, but the substrates are smaller and lower than used by Forster's Terns.   

North American Black Terns migrate to northern coastal South America or to the open ocean.

The American subspecies will show as a vagrant to Great Britain and Ireland.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Greater White-fronted Goose

Brown-gray geese with dark belly bars (hence the nickname specklebelly), the Greater White-fronted Goose migrates through the area.  It is generally uncommon and local, even in its favorite winter ranges.

It is sooner heard than seen, with a high pitched laughing or yelping.  Know that sound and you'll not miss it, as it has a small and local winter range in Oklahoma at meadows, lakes, marshes and grain fields.

It will be seen in the Oklahoma skies in groups as it heads south, but look high, because it will be heard.  Its name was obtained for the small patch of white feathers at the base of its pink or orange bill.  There are three distinct subspecies seen in North America.  The group that is most often seen in the Great Plains will be the birds that breed in Far Slope of Alaska through the western and central Canadian Arctic, the Anser albifrons gambeli.

                                                      Greater White-fronted Goose
                                                     Boomer Lake Park, April 2018

On the breeding grounds, these migrants are very territorial, just like our Canada Geese.  Young stay with their parents for about the first year, and it takes them about two-and-a-half years to breed.  They will remain in the same breeding area.  They are strong fliers and will fly in the familiar "V" formation or in single file.

They are often in the company of other geese and will usually flush before the rest.

Who else is with the Greater White-fronted Goose?

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/04/boomer-lakes-year-of-bird.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/02/januarys-birds-of-boomer.html

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Peregrine Falcon

Stooping at a conservative 186 mph, what can possibly escape the clutches of the Peregrine Falcon?

Uncommon in open locales, especially near water, this missile of a bird of prey nests on edges of cliffs as well as within cities upon buildings or bridges.  A solitary speed demon such as this to be reckoned with, the peregrine hunts prey such as small or medium sized birds.  As seen in the video, it also swiftly dispatches what it considers threats to its young, both real and imagined.

DDT and other equally destructive pesticides nearly eradicated the duck hawk in the mid-twentieth century in the US, but the species managed to rebound with the help of captive breeding.

Falconry has been an avid sport for an easy millennia, and the peregrine was always one of the most coveted of prizes.  The only continent devoid of this remarkable species in Antarctica.  It also cares nothing for tropical forests or very high mountains, as its talents are squelched in those ecosystems.
It reaches sexual maturity in one year and healthy populations will breed between the ages of two and three.  A pair mates for life and they return to the same nesting spot each year.  The species is dimorphic, and its markings are unmistakable.

Courtship between a pair is the most acrobatic natural system that one will ever encounter, including dives, spirals, passing food between the two individuals, and the necessity of unparalleled aerial maneuvers to receive the morsel.

Its lineage includes the deadly agility of the Prairie Falcon, where it likely originated in Africa through western Eurasia.  Mitochondrial DNA structures tend to surprise the scientific world, for much of its genetics have allowed study and breeding to creat even stronger birds than it originally was made for.




                    Peregrine Falcon
                 pen and ink drawing
               by Liana Winters Smith
       

The Perilanner combines hardiness with hunting and similar parenting, and then came the Gyrfalcon to produce large and even more strikingly marked birds.  There is even the Perlin, which is a mix with the Merlin.

Peregrines are just as lethal as their own predators, which include the Golden and Bald Eagles.  If these birds come too close to the eyases in the nest, they will usually win the encounter, but they usually prefer to keep their distance unless it is warranted.

                                                              Peregrine Falcon
                                                         Great Salt Plains, 2017