B irds and M ammals N ative to P ennsylvania F orests

1. Birds and MammalsNative toPennsylvania Forests Presented by: Kristin Hummer Christine Keim August 13, 2010 MSE 820.28 Applying Wildlife & Natural Resources to the Classroom

2. 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

3. PennsylvaniaForestry

4. Pennsylvania’s Forest Uses

5. Coniferous Trees Eastern Hemlock Eastern White Pine • 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

6. Coniferous Trees Pitch Pine Eastern Red Cedar • 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

7. Deciduous Trees Chestnut Oak Pin Oak • 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

8. Deciduous Trees Sugar Maple Silver Maple • 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

9. Deciduous Trees Tulip Poplar Shagbark Hickory • 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

10. Pennsylvania’sForestThreats 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.

11. Mammals of Pennsylvania Forests There are many different types of mammals that reside in the PA forests, some of which are featured here….

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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

23. 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

24. Fox Red Fox Gray 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

25. 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

26. Birdsof 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.

27. Ground Birds Eastern Wild Turkey Ruffed Grouse • 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.

28. Ground Birds Whip-poor-will Woodcock • 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

29. Tree-clinging Birds Woodpeckers • 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 Pileated Downy

30. Tree-clinging Birds Nuthatch • 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 White-breasted Red-breasted

31. Perchers American 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

32. Perchers Blue Jay American Robin • 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 • Smaller than the jay • Only the males sing: “cheeriup, cheerily, cheeriup” • Insectivores

33. Perchers Wrens Finches • Inhabit coniferous and deciduous woods • Weave an open cup nest that expands with growing young • Many species prefer seeds over insects, if available • 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

34. Perchers Dark-eyed Junco Ruby-Throated Hummingbird • 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

35. Perchers Flycatchers Warblers • PA has 10 species (out of 400) • Aggressive birds • Catch and eat flies and other insects, such as bees, flying ants, and wasps • 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

36. Owls Great Horned Long-eared • 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 • 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

37. Owls Barred 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

38. Raptors Hawks Cooper’s Sharp-shinned • 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.)

39. Raptors Red-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

40. Raptors Merlin Northern Goshawk • 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 • 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

41. 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/>.