Flamingo Gardens Wildlife News

WILDLIFE NEWS

Born to be Wild
Meet the Raptors! (The Raptors of Flamingo Gardens)
Under an Eagle's Wings (Eagle Scouts help Flamingo Gardens)
You Otter Care

Born to be Wild

There were an incredible number of baby animals born and raised at Flamingo Gardens this season. We have not had this amount of birds breed in quite a few years. There were a lot of new couplings of birds and the excitement created love in the air. There were baby Cormorants, Ibis, Egrets, Yellow Crowned Herons, Moorhen, Roseate Spoonbill , Crow and the Green Herons alone produced 30 babies. In all the total number born, just in our free flight aviary, was around 80.

We also had an incredible amount of Screech Owlets this year. On average we get two a season, this year we had 9. The first baby Screech Owlet that we received had a badly broken leg. He was in the cavity of a tree that had been cut down. In the fall his leg was severely fractured in multiple places. On first observation, it was completely black and broken so badly you could turn the leg around. Considering that it was a baby, and would heal quickly since it was still growing, we gave it our best shot. We taped and splinted his little leg and called him Forest , after Forest Gump . The bandage was changed every other day and the leg was realigned every time so it would grow functionally. It was unbelievable that it healed at all, much less perfectly. Soon after Forest came, we received another owlet that had been thrown from its nest by a snake. Since it is best to always raise baby birds with their own species, we put them together, and she became Jenny. They grew and learned from each other; they were trained how to hunt and released. As we opened the door to the kennel they flew off into the wild. We wished them good luck and said " Run Forest , run," or in this case, "Fly Forest , fly!"

The Red-shouldered Hawks at Flamingo Gardens have had babies for eight years. This year they built a huge nest in the top of a very tall palm tree . We noticed that the nest was looking a little shabby so we checked around it every day to make sure that no babies had fallen out. There were huge storms one night. The first thing I thought of was that shabby nest. That morning, two wonderful volunteers, Ron and Steve looked under the tree and there they were. Two little white chicks, one was deceased and the other cold and wet. The volunteers rushed the surviving baby to the clinic. After it was warmed up, it became fluffy, alert and hungry. Ron and Steve chopped mice into tiny bite-sized pieces and offered it. Being an opportunistic bird, it ate right away, despite the traumatic experience it had just been through. The nest was still partially intact so we wanted to try to return the baby to its parents, but were careful to not take any chances. After three days of persistent storms, the entire nest fell and we were surprised to find another chick in it. We named the first chick that was saved Solo, because it was a sky diver, and called the second, Tandem. It was good for them to have each other so they do not imprint and become dependent on humans. Solo and Tandem grew quickly and were moved to a large flight cage and trained to hunt. They were released at the gardens, but stayed close and we see them every day. Amazingly I have even seen them hanging around with their parents despite the fact that hawks don't usually tolerate any other hawks near them. The adults also produced a second brood and raised one baby from the new nest.

It is a lot of work for the Animal Care Department during the spring and summer and we could not do it if it wasn't for the committed employees and volunteers. Special thanks to Victoria Brady, Ron Haley, Steve Perry , Maggie Fallon, Yong Sheltra. Kerstin Green, Scot Distefano, Sue Moore and Sara Bloom to name a few of the hard working people that make this all possible by providing love and care to our animals.

Meet the Raptors!

We are proud to have a large variety of raptors at Flamingo Gardens. We house over 80 raptors or Birds of Prey. Here is some information about these incredible animals. You can "adopt" any of the animals at the gardens by clicking on Wildlife Adoption Program!

	American Kestrel The Kestrels on exhibit both suffer from permanently injured wings. One female came from the Wildlife Care Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida . The other came from the Folke H. Peterson Foundation in West Palm Beach, Florida . American Kestrels are the only bird of prey that has a true color dimorphism. Females are brown and black with a striped tail. Males have a blue head and brown tail with black tip. American Kestrels are the smallest falcons in North America .
	Bald Eagle Both Bald Eagles in our exhibit have wing injuries. The female, Harmony, has been at Flamingo Gardens for over eleven years. The male, Abe, came from the Wildlife Care Center in 1998. He was hit by a large truck and his wing was completely amputated by the antenna. These Bald Eagles are a pair. The female lays eggs every year, but since the male does not have both wings it is difficult for them to copulate properly. Bald eagles were chosen as our nation's bird in 1782. The Bald Eagle once was near extinction due to the use of DDT, a harmful pesticide. The Bald Eagle has made a remarkable recovery and was taken off of the endangered species list in 1999. They feed mainly on fish, mammals and will also eat carrion (dead animals).
	Barn Owl There are three Barn Owls in our exhibit. At Flamingo Gardens we have had a very successful Barn Owl breeding program. We have bred up to 30 barn owlets in one year. All of these owlets are trained and released back into the wild. Recently, we have worked with the Pittsburgh Zoo reintroducing Barn Owls into the wild.
	Barred Owl There is a pair of Barred Owls in our exhibit. The female has lived at Flamingo Gardens for more than ten years. She is the larger bird that is missing an eye. The male also has an eye injury along with a leg injury. When he was being trained for release, he could not find the food well on his own. After veterinary examination it was found that his eyes were severely scratched.
	Black Vulture Both of the Black Vultures on exhibit have wing injuries. They were both hit by cars while trying to eat. Vultures are very important to the environment because they eat carrion (dead animals). So, whenever an animal gets hit by a car, vultures will come to clean it up. Unfortunately they themselves will often get hit too. There are two Species of Vultures in Florida . Turkey Vultures, which have red heads and Black Vultures.
	Broad-winged Hawk There are two Broad-winged Hawks on exhibit. The female, was used in our Wildlife Encounter shows for 15 years, and is now retired. She is missing her left eye. The male, Duke, has an injured wing. Broad-winged Hawks are the smallest of the Buteo Hawks in North America . Broad-winged Hawks migrate in groups, called Kettles, that can contain thousands of birds. Broad-winged Hawks live in the forest. There are approximately 2.4 million Broad-winged Hawks in North America .
	Burrowing Owl There are two pair of Burrowing Owls here at the gardens. They all have injured wings. These birds make a burrow under the ground that leads to the nest cavity. Generally the female will lay one to seven small white eggs. You can tell if a burrow is active if the male leaves food outside. Often male Burrowing Owls will dig more than one burrow to detour predators away from the viable nest. If a predator approaches, the Burrowing Owl will imitate a rattlesnake to scare it away. Burrowing Owls are diurnal which means they are active during the day.
	Caracara The Caracaras in our habitat both have wing injuries. The male has been at Flamingo Gardens for more than eight years. He came from Wrede's Wildlife Rescue in Sebring , Florida . The female came from the bachelor bird of prey center in Miami . Caracara live in large pastures and often in cow fields. In North America, Caracaras live in Florida , Texas and Arizona . Caracara are the national bird of Mexico. They feed mainly on carrion (dead animals).
	Coopers Hawk The Coopers Hawks in our exhibit all have permanently injured wings. Coopers Hawks are Accipiter Hawks. There are three species of Accipiter Hawks in North America. The Goshawk, Coopers Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk. Accipiter Hawks have long tails and short wings. This is because they live and hunt in thick forest and woodlands. They use this long tail to help them maneuver after prey through the trees. Juvenile Coopers Hawks have greenish yellow eyes. Adult Coopers Hawks have red eyes.
	Ferruginous Hawk The Ferruginous Hawk came to Flamingo Gardens in 1992. His name is Harley. He came all the way from Arizona to be used in our Wildlife Encounter Shows. Harley was used in the wildlife encounter show for ten years and now is retired. He has a permanently injured wing and cannot be released into the wild. Ferruginous Hawks have a light and a dark color phase. Ferruginous means, like iron rust in color; yellowish-red or brownish-red. Ferruginous Hawks have feathered legs, or “leggings,” to protect them when hunting squirrels. Ferruginous Hawks are native to the southwest United States and are the largest hawks in North America .
	Golden Eagle There are a pair of Golden Eagles on exhibit. The female had a very bad wing injury and the wing had to be amputated. The male also had a wing injury that did not heal well enough to be released. Golden Eagles are very rare in Florida . They live mostly in the western half of North America and can be found throughout the northern hemisphere. Golden Eagles are endangered in many parts of the world. Juvenile Bald Eagles are often mistakenly identified as Golden Eagles . Golden Eagles feed on small mammals but will also eat larger animals like goat and deer.
	Harris Hawk The female Harris hawk, Princess, came to Flamingo gardens in 1992. Thor, the male, was once used as a bird for falconry. Harris Hawks live in Texas, New Mexico, Mexico and Central America . Harris Hawks, unlike most hawks, will work as a team. Female Harris hawks will often have more than one mate. Even juveniles will come back to help their mother feed the next clutch of babies. Harris hawks were named by James Audubon after a man named Edward Harris who bought a lot of James Audubon's drawings.
	Merlin The Merlin is a Falcon. There are two Merlins on exhibit. One came from the Bachelor Bird of Prey Center in Miami . It had a broken wing that did not heal well enough to be released. The other Merlin came all the way from Utah . It also has a broken wing and is unable to be released. Merlins are migratory birds that visit Florida in the winter and summer. There are three different variations of Merlin. Tiaga, which is the species found in Florida , Pacific and Prairie. All three have different coloration. The male Merlin has a faint bluish hue to his wing feathers. The female is completely brown.
	Northern Harrier The Northern Harriers here have both had severely broken wings. Both of these birds were hit by cars and rescued by the Bachelor Bird of Prey Center in Miami . Northern Harriers fly very low to the ground. Northern Harriers are the only Birds of Prey that use their hearing as the main way of locating prey. If you look at the face of the Northern Harrier you will notice that it is like a satellite dish. It almost resembles an owl, which also uses hearing to find prey. Northern Harriers are easily identified in flight by their pure white rump. Male Harriers are pale grey in color. Females and juveniles are brown.
	Peregrine Falcon The female Peregrine Falcon was injured when she hit a fence while pursuing prey. Peregrine Falcons will pursue prey so intently that they often do not see danger. When this bird was being trained by a Falconer, we learned it could not fly. Being a migratory bird that travels great distances, the Peregrine would have to be in perfect condition. After intense training with this bird, she was deemed non-releasable. The male falcon was a falconry bird. When he was released, he did not survive well on his own. Peregrine Falcons are the fastest animal in the world. In a stoop, a Peregrine reaches speeds of over 200 mile an hour. The word Peregrine means “wanderer” and Falcon means “sickle shaped,” pertaining to the shape of the wings. Peregrine Falcons are an Endangered Species.
	Red-shouldered Hawk The Red-shouldered Hawks both have wing injuries. Both of these birds were shot. Because Red-shoulders sit out in the open they are often fall victim to hunters. They are also known as chicken hawks because they will eat farmers chickens. This does not always sit well with farmers who illegally shoot them. Red-shouldered Hawks live in eastern half of North America and some on the western coast. Red-shouldered are the most common hawk you will see in Florida . In Florida we have a very pale color morph of Red-shoulder, along with the more common darker red morph. Red-shoulders are one of the most vocal Birds of Prey. Adults are easily identifiable by their red shoulders as well as their black and white barred tail.
	Red-tailed Hawk The Red-tailed Hawk that is on display is a male. His name is Georgie. He is approximately 28 years of age. He has lived at Flamingo Gardens for 18 years. Over fifteen years, Georgie and his mate Gracie had 26 babies. All of their babies were released back into the wild. Georgie lost his mate recently due to old age. We have tried to introduce new female hawks to Georgie, but he is not ready yet. We will keep trying and one day we hope he will find a mate again. Red-tailed Hawks are the largest hawks in Florida .
	Screech Owl There are six screech owls that live here at the gardens. There are three different color morphs of screech owls, Brown, Grey and Red. Screech owls are the smallest of the horned owls. They use these "horns" and feather coloration to blend into their environment. This is called camouflage.
	Short-tailed Hawk The Short-tailed Hawks have both suffered wing injuries. They are both dark morph Short-tailed Hawks. There is also a white morph Short-tailed Hawk, which is white underneath. Short-tailed Hawks are an Endangered Species. There are fewer than 500 left in Florida. Florida is the only place they live in North America . Eighty percent of this population are dark morph.