Family characteristics Flashcards
strigidae
nocturnal, soft feathers for silent flight, flexible necks
- eastern screech owl, barred owl
Tytonidae
nest in structures/ledges/holes, mainly eat small mammals
- barn owl
Pandionidae
coastal, nest in structures, eat fish
- osprey
Accipitridae
diverse habitats, nests in crowns of trees, defend nesting territories, mainly eat mammals, 1-5 eggs
- hawk, eagle
Falconidae
fast flyers, good eyesight, eat mammals birds insects
- falcons
Ardeidae
wading birds, long neck and bill, ornamental plumes
- herons
anatidae
major sport group, herbivorous, migrate
- ducks
picidae
forage for insects in trees, drumming communication, cavity nesters
- woodpeckers, flickers
tyrannidae
flycatchers, hawking feeding style(sitting on perch, flying to catch insect in the air, going back to perch), diverse habitats
- Acadian flycatcher
Lannidae
hooked bills, impale prey on thorns, perch sites
- Loggerhead shrike
Vireonidae
males sing majority of day, canopy dwellers
- red-eyed vireo
Corvidae
one of largest brains, out perform mammals in food hunting, experience grief, use landmarks to remember location
- american crow
Hirundinidae
areal feeders, pointed wings and streamlined bodies
- purple martin
paridae
curious, eat insects and seeds, cavity nesters
- tufted titmouse, chickadee
Sittidae
move down tree head first, hack seeds open, cavity nesters
- nuthatch
Troglodytidae
search understory or ground for good, male begins nest construction
- winter wren, carolina wren
Turdidae
feed on ground, blue eggs, variety of habitats
- eastern bluebird, american robin
mimidae
mimicry, rarely form flocks, both sex care for young
- gray catbird, northern mockingbird
Fringillidae
notched tails, seedeaters, sexually dimorphic, call in flight
- red crossbill, american goldfinch
passerellidae
seed eaters(will eat insects), conical(cone shaped) bills
- sparrow
icteridae
black plumage, majority tropical, sexually dimorphic, some colonial nesters
- meadowlark, blackbird
parulidae
migrate long distances, large clutch size in relation to body size
- warbler
cardinalidae
powerful bills, seed eaters, americas
- Northern Cardinal
Trichechidae
coastal waters, hairs on snout
- manatee
Talpidae
fossorial, broad forefoot and claws, moist soils, eimer’s organ
- mole
Soricidae
high metabolism and heart beat(must eat a lot), long pointed snout, patrol under logs/rocks for insects
- shrew
Leporidae
- variety of habitats, nocturnal, herbivorous, eat poop
Sciuridae
arched skulls, bushy tails, diurnal herbivores(awake during day)
-chipmunks, squirrels
Cricetidae
wide range of habitats (?)
- vole, mouse, muskrat, lemming
castoridae
largest north american rodent, paddle tail, partially webbed hind feet, dams and dens
- beaver
didelphidae
opposable hallux, arboreal, many teeth
- virginia opossum
Mustelidae
slender bodies, short legs, ferocious predators
- otters, weasels, minks
mephitidae
developed scent glands, warning colors
-skunks
Canidae
long narrow muzzles, developed canine teeth
- wolf, fox
Ursidae
largest terrestrial carnivore, developed sense of smell
- bear
procyonidae
partially arboreal, alternating dark and light banded tails, walk on soles of feet
- raccoons
felidae
compact face, long limbs, retractible claws, walk on toes, color vision
- mountain lion, bobcat
Vespertilionidae
solitary, roost in trees, migratory and nonmigratory, hibernate in caves, insectivorous
- gray bat, red bat
Cervidae
even toed hoofed, ruminants, no upper incisors, often in herds
- elk, deer
Delphinidae
males larger than females, conical teeth
- dolphin
balaenidae
largest baleen whales, thick blubber, large head
- northern right whale
