BIRDS AND MAMMALSNATIVE TOPENNSYLVANIA FORESTSPresented by:

Kristin HummerChristine Keim

August 13, 2010

Applying Wildlife & Natural Resources to the Classroom

MSE 820.28

Pennsylvania Forestry Facts

PA’s nearly 17 million acres of forest land

provides recreation opportunites, wood

products, clean air and water, and is the habitat

for many plants and animals

National forest planning effort themes:

~conserve working forests

~protect forests from harm

~enhance public benefits from forests

Pennsylvania Forestry

Pennsylvania’s Forest Uses

Coniferous Trees

Official state tree of PA Found in cool, moist

woods Population declining

rapidly due to Woolly Adelgid

One of the most valued timber trees

Found in moist or dry woods

Eastern Hemlock Eastern White Pine

Coniferous Trees

Medium-sized tree commonly found throughout PA in sandy soil

High resin content makes the lumber good for construction and railroad ties

Slow growing, but long lived tree

Wood is used for fence posts and moth-proof chests

Pitch Pine Eastern Red Cedar

Deciduous Trees

Large tree grows to 80 ft. on dry slopes and ridgetops

Large crops of acorns produced every 4 – 7 yrs.

Wood is not as valuable as other oaks; tends to split

Typically found in wet sites and grows to 60 feet

Chestnut Oak Pin Oak

Deciduous Trees

Wood is used for furniture and musical instruments

Sap is tapped for maple syrup production

Found in moist woods and stream banks

Reaches 50 – 60 ft. high

Sugar Maple Silver Maple

Deciduous Trees

Tallest of the eastern hardwoods

Valuable wood for veneer

Grows 70 – 80 ft. tall Strong, hard wood used for

tool handles Valuable fuel wood and used to

smoke meat

Tulip Poplar Shagbark Hickory

Pennsylvania’s Forest Threats

Discovered in PA in 1932 and is responsible for millions of acres of defoliation yearly.

Discovered in Pennsylvania is late 1960’s and is a serious pest of the Eastern Hemlock.

This caterpillar is a threat to many forests causing defoliation of hardwood trees. Major outbreaks recorded in PA since mid-1930’s.

Mammals of Pennsylvania Forests

There are many different

types of mammals that reside

in the PA forests, some of

which are featured here….

Black Bears

Largest carnivore in Pennsylvania

Average weight of adult is 200-400 lbs.

Diet: fruits, nuts, berries, roots, rodents, insects, small mammals, fish

Generally a solitary animal unless mother with cubs

State’s population estimated at 15,000

White-tailed Deer

In Pennsylvania, average adult buck weighs 140 lbs.

Can run at 40 mph for short bursts; can maintain 25 mph longer

Capable of clearing obstacles up to 9 ft. high or 25 ft. wide

Herbivores

Bobcat

Pennsylvania’s only feline predator

Avg. weight =15-20 lbs. Avg. length = 36 inches Mainly nocturnal Gray-brown fur with

dark spots and bars Diet: mice, rats,

shrews, squirrels, birds, rabbits, etc.

In 2000, population estimated around 3,500

Gray Squirrel

PA’s most common type of squirrel

Adult = 1 to 1.5 lbs. Diet = acorns, nuts,

berries, mushrooms, corn, seed, etc.

Can only see in shades of black and white, but able to detect movement well

Gray squirrels prefer a deciduous forest with a variety of trees

Raccoon

Size: 28-38 inches and weigh 10 – 30 pounds

Omnivorous = fruits, berries, nuts, corn, worms, insects fish, frogs and rodents

Nocturnal Strong climbers &

swimmers Excellent senses of

smell, hearing, and sight

Eastern Chipmunk

Size: 8-10 inches long (including tail) and 2.5 – 4 oz.

Omnivorous Can transfer large

amount of food in cheeks (ex. 70 sunflower seeds!)

Prefers open deciduous forest with stumps and logs

Mainly ground dwellers, but can climb trees

Porcupine

N. America’s 2nd largest rodent (beaver is largest)

Size = 9 – 15 lbs. and about 30” long (incl. tail)

When threatened, turns back, flails quills back and forth…not able to throw quills

Top speed on ground is 2 mph

Poor sight and hearing; stronger sense of smell

Opossum

One of our world’s oldest species of mammal

N. America’s only marsupial

Size = 24 – 40” long and weigh 4 – 12 lbs.

50 teeth (more than any other N. American mammal)

Omnivores Seldom spends 2 back-to-

back nights in same den “Plays possum” ~limp and

motionless when threatened

Shrew

Insectivores 7 shrew species

within Pennsylvania Active year-round Eat continuously Range in size from

Pygmy (about 3” long)

to Short-tailed (about 4 – 5” long)

Shrews have 5 toes per foot; mice only 4 toes per foot

Elk

177 Elk released by PA Game Commission between 1913 – 1926

Found in Elk and Cameron counties; starting to be seen in Clinton, Clearfield, and Potter counties

Bull = 600 – 1,000 lbs. Female = 500 – 600 lbs. Can reach speeds of 30 mph Able to jump and swim Usual diet: aspen, red maple,

oak Lifespan up to 20 yrs.

Bats

9 species of bats in PA Hibernate through

winter Insectivores Inhabit wooded areas

near lakes, streams, and fields

Most bats only have one offspring per year

Nurse and are full-size and self-sufficient by 6 wks. of age

Only mammal that flies

Eastern Coyote

Largest canine in PA Males = 45 – 50 lbs. Females = 35 – 40 lbs. Usually yellow eyes Fur varies in color (blonde,

reddish, gray, brown, black) Often live along edge of forest

& clearcuts Diet = deer, rabbits,

woodchucks, rodents, fruit, and plant material

Population in 1995 was 15-20,000 and growing

Fox

8-12 lbs./22-25” in length

Reddish-orange, long fur

Black ears White-tipped tail Nocturnal predator Habitat = edge of

woods

7-13 lbs./ 21-29” in length Gray/buff, coarse fur Black striped tail/black tip Nocturnal predator Habitat = brushy areas &

mountainous terrain

Red Fox Gray Fox

Fisher

Member of weasel family Tree-climber Unlikely to stray from

heavily forested areas (both conifer & mixed)

Solitary predator Common diet: rodents

porcupine, chipmunks Population is growing

due to better forestry laws on trapping & timbering

Size of average house cat

Birds of Pennsylvania Forests

Classifications:

Ground birds Tree-clinging birds Perchers Owls Raptors

There are many bird

species that reside

in our Pennsylvania

forests…over 25 of

which are featured

here.

Ground BirdsEastern Wild Turkey

Official state bird since 1931

Have decreased in population since early 1900s

Flocks roost in trees for the night – sometimes as many as 40 birds in the same tree!

Range up to several miles a day

Have sharp eyesight and hearing; make many different calls

Eat insects, spiders, snails, slugs, nuts, seeds, fruits

“Ruffed” comes from a ruff of iridescent black feathers the circle the neck

Only flies short distances; top speed 20 mph

Inhabit areas with ground cover: immature forests with mountain laurel, greenbrier, witchazel, etc.

Ruffed Grouse

Ground Birds

Nocturnal bird with big eyes and long bill

Nicknamed “timberdoodle” and “mudsnipe”

Favorite food is earthworms, but also eats insects and spiders; eats its weight in food each day (about 7 oz.)

Very vocal birds with a variety of at least 10 different calls

Nocturnal bird with large eyes and wide mouths, used for scooping up insects in mid-air

Perches lengthwise on branches or on the ground and waits to fly up and catch its prey

Named for the male’s repetitive calling: a sharp “whip,” “poor” falling away, with a high-pitched “will” at the end

Whip-poor-willWoodcock

Tree-clinging Birds

DownyPileated

9 out of 45 species live in PA (more than 200 worldwide)

Feed mainly on wood-boring grubs, insects, insect eggs

Also consume sap, nuts, and fruits of some shrubs & trees

Have a sharp, strong bill with a special tip for chipping and digging into tree trunks

Their tongues are twice as long as their head and have barbed tips to grab larvae after chopping

Stiff, pointed tail feathers support its body while hammering with beak

Woodpeckers

Tree-clinging BirdsNuthatch

White-breasted

Red-breasted

Name comes from the way these birds “hack” nuts apart using their short, strong pointed bills

Wedge acorns and hickory nuts into tree bark, then hammer the shells off with their beaks

Eat nuts, spiders, and insects Inhabit deciduous forests Climb up and down trees in

quick motions, even hand from the underside of limbs

PerchersAmerican Crow Black-Capped Chickadee

Intelligent and adaptable

Weighs 20 oz.; 15-18 in. long; wingspan is 3 ft

All black – from feet to bill – with iridescent feathers

Food: insects, worms, grain, fruit, eggs and young of other birds, and the carcasses of road-killed animals in the winter

Black head and chin, 5 in. long Strong legs help them to hop

around in trees and cling to branches while feeding

Call: “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” Eat insects, spiders, snails,

berries, seeds, and animal fat

Store food in bark crevices and knotholes to eat in winter

Perchers

Store acorns in the fall to eat during the winter

Vocal birds; often mimic the “kee-yer” calls of hawks

Prefer forests with deciduous nut-bearing oak & beech trees

Blue Jay American Robin Smaller than the jay Only the males sing:

“cheeriup, cheerily, cheeriup”

Insectivores

Perchers

Inhabit coniferous and deciduous woods

Weave an open cup nest that expands with growing young

Many species prefer seeds over insects, if available

Wrens Finches 5 (out of 70) species live in PA Eat mainly insects and spiders;

some species eats berries and seeds

Some species build “dummy” nests to confuse predators

Perchers

Dark-eyed Junco

Only common hummingbird east of the Great Plains

Hover at flowers and feed on nectar; also eat insects

Beats its wings 80 times per second when moving forward

Especially attracted to bright red blossoms

Ground-loving birds Scratch in dead leaves, soil

and snow to uncover food Prefers to roost in conifers

at night

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Perchers

PA has 10 species (out of 400) Aggressive birds Catch and eat flies and other

insects, such as bees, flying ants, and wasps

Flycatchers Warblers 27 species breed in PA Small, lively, and colorful

birds Many winter in Mexico and fly

over the Gulf of Mexico to the southern states before migrating into PA

OwlsGreat Horned Long-eared

Known as the “hoot owl” for its deep, booming “hoo-ho-hoo-hoo”

Prominent ear tufts (2 in. long) = “horns”

Earliest nesters of all owls: February they lay eggs

Prey on rabbits, mice, birds, smaller owls, foxes, skunks, muskrats, and weasels

Weigh 3 ½ lbs., ~ 22 in. long, 5 ft wingspan

Most nocturnal owl of PA

Weighs 11 oz.; 16 in. long; 40 in. wingspan

Similar looking to the larger Great Horned owl, but it has a streaked belly, instead of barred, and the ear tufts are closer-set

Dove-like call: “hoo-hoo-hoo” repeated every 3 seconds

OwlsBarred Eastern

Screech Only owl

of the woods that has brown eyes; all others are yellow

Rounded head; no ear tufts

Weighs up to 2 lbs.; ~ 20 in. long; 44 in. wingspan

Most vocal of all owls, with an 8 accented call: “hoohoo-hoohoo… hoo-hoo-hoohooaw”

Weighs 6-7 oz., 10 in. long, 2 ft. wingspan

Two colors: red and gray In PA, the gray is 10 times

more common than the red Prey on large insects

(grasshoppers, moths, beetles), mice, shrews, small birds, & crayfish

RaptorsHawks

Sharp-shinned

Cooper’s Weigh 10-20

oz.;14-20 in. long; 27-36 in. wingspan

Red-eyed, blue-gray back and a rusty-colored breast, and rounded tails

Prey mainly on blue jays and robins

While hunting, they prefer to perch and wait for prey

Weigh 5-9 oz.; 10-14 in. long; 20 - 27 in. wingspan

Closely resemble Cooper’s hawk, but are smaller

Have short rounded wings and a long square-tipped tail

Feed exclusively on small birds (vireos, warblers, sparrows, etc.)

RaptorsRed-Tailed Hawk

Weighs 2 ½ to 3 lbs., 19 to 25 in. in length, 46 to 58 in. wingspan

Light, streaked belly and dark brown back and wings

Upper side of the adult’s tail is a rusty-red color

Rasping “keer-r-r-r” call, slurring downward

Primarily soaring birds that prey on mice, birds, rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks

Inhabit deciduous woods, nesting 35 to 90 ft up, they build a stick and twig nest lined with bark or green sprigs

Raptors

Weighs 2 - 3½ lbs., 20 – 26 in. long, wingspan is 40-47 in.

Eyes are bright red, with a white line over each

Nicknamed “blue darters,” they pursue prey (birds and small mammals) through the air or on foot

Voice is a harsh “ca ca ca ca” when defending their nest

Merlin Northern Goshawk

Weighs 6-8 oz. (size of a blue jay); 10-13 in. long; 2 ft. wingspan

Nicknamed “pigeon hawk” due to this falcon’s resemblance to a pigeon’s flight and posture

Voice is a rasping chatter Favor open woods or heavy

timber in wild areas

Resources

Critter Quest PA. Web. Summer 2010. <http://pcee.org/critterquestpa/>.   Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Web. Summer 2010. <http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/>.   Pennsylvania Game Commission. Wildlife Notes. PA Game Commission. Print.   Pennsylvania Wildlife. Web. Summer 2010. <http://www.pawild.net/home/>.