Birds

Swans. Photo by David Rees.
Birds are a frequent sight when you're on the waterfall exploration
trail! This section is dedicated to the various species you
can expect to come across, as well as photos and in-depth
descriptions.
SNOW OWL
The Snowy Owl is a large, diurnal white Owl that has
a rounded head, yellow eyes and black bill. The feet
are heavily feathered. A distinctive white Owl, their
overall plumage is variably barred or speckled with
thin, black, horizontal bars or spots. Females and
juveniles are more heavily marked than males - adult
males may be almost pure white, although they have
up to three tail bands. Adult females are distinctly
barred throughout, and have from four to six tail bands.
Immatures are very heavily barred throughout, and dark
spotting may codominate or dominate the overall plumage.
Intensity of dark spotting varies with the sex of the
immatures, females being the darkest. Juveniles are
uniformly brown with scattered white tips of down.
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Snow Owl. Photo by Chris Ecklund. Click to enlarge. |

Snow Owl. Photo by Chris Ecklund. Click to enlarge. |
KILLDEER
Medium-sized shorebird.
Legs moderately long.
Neck short.
Back brown.
Underparts white with two black bands on chest.
Size: 20-28 cm (8-11 in)
Wingspan: 46-48 cm (18-19 in)
Weight: 75-128 g (2.65-4.52 ounces)
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Killdeer. Photo by Chris Ecklund. Click to enlarge. |

Killdeer. Photo by Chris Ecklund. Click to enlarge. |
THE TURKEY VULTURE
The Turkey Vulture is one of North
America's largest birds of prey. It reaches a length
of 32 inches with a wing span of 6 feet. Its overall
color is brown-black with a featherless, red head,
white bill and yellow feet among mature adults. Immature
birds have a darker face. Although usually silent,
the bird will occasionally emit a soft hiss or groan.
In flight, the Turkey Vulture rocks from side to
side, rarely flapping its wings which are held at
a V-angle called a dihedral. Silver-gray flight feathers
look lighter than the black lining feathers of the
underwing. Its long tail extends beyond its legs
and feet in flight.
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Turkey Vulture. Photo by Chris Ecklundt. Click to enlarge. |

Turkey Vulture. Photo by Chris Ecklund. Click to enlarge. |
THE MUSCOVY DUCK
Muscovies are the only domestic ducks that are not derived
from Mallard stock. They are a South American species.
The original (wild type) coloration is black and white,
but domestication has produced many more colors, including
white, black, chocolate, and blue. The males are large,
weighing up to twelve pounds, with the smaller females
reaching only seven (I have heard of one Australian strain
bred for market, in which a dressed male reached nearly
20 lb and took two people to restrain). Their feet have
strong sharp claws and are built to grasp, so that they
can perch on branches
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Muscovy Duck. Photo by Chris Ecklund. Click to enlarge. |

Muscovy Duck. Photo by Chris Ecklundt. Click to enlarge. |
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