Division of Bird Habitat Conservation

Birdscapes: News from International Habitat Conservation Partnerships

In an Eggshell

Fun Facts about Owls

• There are 19 species of owls that live in North America and some 180 species around the world.
• Most owl species mate for life.
• Owls are found on all continents except Antarctica.
• Female owls are larger and heavier than the males of their species.
• Owls can turn their heads almost three-quarters of the way around without moving their bodies.
• Owls are raptors: they hunt other living things for their food. Their effectiveness in controlling rodent populations should endear them to humans.
• Owls have three eyelids. The upper lid closes when an owl blinks and the lower closes when an owl sleeps. The third, the nictitating membrane, moves diagonally across the eye from the inside to the outside, cleaning it and also protecting it in that split second before impact with prey.
• Some owls have ears that are not bilaterally symmetrical, allowing them to better pinpoint the location of their prey through asymmetrical acoustics.
• Most owls are nocturnal. Hunting under the cover of darkness permits no shadows to be cast that could alert prey as the owl descends from overhead, and most owl prey lack the excellent nighttime vision of its predator.
• Owls are stealth hunters. Their feathers’ design is such that flight sounds are muffled, allowing the owl to quietly approach its prey. Because owls are almost silent while in flight, they also are better able to hear and locate their prey.
• Some owls are known to hunt animals as large as cats and even skunks. Ferruginous pygmy-owls, only 6 3/4 inches long, have been documented successfully attacking chickens.

Karen Foerstel, The Nature Conservancy
(703) 841-3932, kfoerstel@tnc.org

Locating Texas Coast IBAs

As one of the first stopover points in the United States for birds migrating northward from Central and South America, the Texas coast plays an extremely important role in the survival of millions of birds. “As citizens of this state, we have an obligation to protect our natural heritage,” said Jesse Grantham, director of bird conservation for Audubon Texas. “Audubon’s Important Bird Areas program will help both public and private land managers to make informed decisions when it comes to conserving and restoring significant wildlife areas.”

First launched in Europe in the 1980s by BirdLife International, the Important Bird Area (IBA) program enables bird conservationists to become part of a large international network. As the U.S. Partner Designate of BirdLife International, the National Audubon Society administers the IBA program in the United States. Standard criteria are used to identify and designate IBAs. Sites may vary in size but are usually discreet and distinguishable in character, habitat, or ornithological importance.

Audubon Texas initiated the coastal component of its IBA program in February of this year. A 3-year, $158,600 grant from The Meadows Foundation will support the start-up phase.

“The state-based IBA programs are tailored to the region’s specific needs,” said Grantham. “In Texas, we plan on using the most current technology available, including geographic information systems and radar tracking of migratory birds, to help determine the most important coastal areas. As essential as the science is to the program’s success, support from public land managers and landowners is also crucial.”

Jennifer Coffey, Audubon Texas
(512) 306-0225, jcoffey@audubon.org

We Have a Winner

The competition was stiff: 52 entries, winnowed from more than 28,000 from 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and American Samoa. A panel of five esteemed judges moved quietly amongst the artwork, critically eyeing each piece, jotting down notes.

With much anticipation, 50 observers waited as the judges’ scores were tallied. Finally, the announcement: “Third place: wood duck pair by 18-year-old Colby Brant of Sealy, Texas. Second place: wood duck drake by Amanda Edsall, 17, of Canton, Illinois. And the winner of your 2003-2004 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest is 18-year-old Nathan Bauman of Jamestown, Pennsylvania, for his green-winged teal pair.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service created the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program in 1989 to offer teachers an art-based curriculum covering environmental science and habitat conservation. The optional “term paper” is a Junior Duck Stamp design. Students must select and do research on a waterfowl species and its habitat, then depict that species in art. The program is funded solely from Junior Duck Stamp sales, with 99 percent of the money going into scholarships and awards for students, teachers, and schools participating in the program.

A Junior Duck Stamp Competition is held annually in each U.S. state and territory wishing to participate. Each state’s Best of Show is sent to the National Junior Duck Stamp Competition, this year held in Ocean City, Maryland, at the Ward World Annual Wildlife Carving Festival. The national winner receives a $4,000 award, plus the honor of having his or her artwork appear on the stamp. Second and third place winners receive $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

Thousands of students opt to participate in the contest each year, and thousands more participate in the learning program, each gaining a broader knowledge of wildlife and a deeper appreciation of nature. You can support this educational effort by purchasing a Junior Duck Stamp for $5 at http://duckstamps.fws.gov or by calling 1-800-STAMP24.

Terry Bell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(703) 358-2002, terry_bell@fws.gov

Shooting Sports Program for Youth

The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Scholastic Trapshooting Program (STP) was initially established to provide an appropriate and inviting “entry point” to the shooting sports for today’s youth. Designed with parental interests and today’s lifestyles in mind, the STP offered a regularly scheduled and coached program that emphasized safe firearms handling, commitment, responsibility, leadership, skill development, and teamwork. It provided the opportunity for youth to compete at state and national championships in novice and experienced categories, as well as compete for college scholarships.

This successful program has been expanded to include skeet and sporting clays and has been renamed the Scholastic Clay Target Program. This educational program is sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry's largest and most diverse trade association; the Amateur Trapshooting Association; the National Skeet Shooting Association; and the National Sporting Clays Association. Currently, the program has teams in 38 states with more than 2,300 registered competitors.

For more information about how your family can participate, visit www.nssf.org/sctp.

Scott Moore, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc.
(203) 426-1320 extension 225, smoore@nssf.org