Great Horned Owl

The topic for May, Zoo Animals Live, was birds of prey. Jeff, who is now working at the Topeka Zoo with Dennis, was the presenter.

Merlin represented all the Great Horned Owls that are widely distributed in the Americas. 

There are almost no predators of these adult owls. Their heads can turn 270′ and their eyes are as large as  human eyes. They hunt rabbits, raccoon, rats, squirrels and their favorite food are skunks. Owls eat the whole animal and then regurgitate the skin and bones into a pellet.

Eastern Screech Owl

The Eastern Screech Owl is found in every habitat in the Eastern US and Southern Canada. They hunt fron dusk to dawn and their favorite foods are rodents, chipmunks, squirrels, bats, moles and birds. They mate for life unless one disappears.

Rough Legged Hawk

This hawk is named for its feathers that grow on its legs.
The Rough Legged Hawk is medium sized; 20-24″ long with a 51″ wingspan. They leave their Arctic breeding ground in the late fall and migrate to the central US. They return in late spring.
Their diet includes lemmings, mice, ground squirrels and other small mammals.
 

Turkey Vulture

The TurkeyVulture  is found in most of the Americas. Their length is 25-32″, weight 1.9-5 lbs and have a wingspan of 67-72″. They are scavengers and feed on carrion. Vultures have great vision and a good sense of smell. This helps them locate the dead animals that they feed on. They have few predators and are protected in the US under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. These birds migrate south in the winter.

Lilly is the Turkey Vulture that lives at the Topeka Zoo. She was imprinted on humans when she was very young. This means that when she opened her eyes the first thing she saw was a human. Lilly doesn’t know she is a Turkey Vulture, she thinks she is a human.