Is That Snake Venomous?

Many people have a fear of snakes.  Some people will even go so far as to kill any snake they encounter. 

Even though they may look slithery and creepy, snakes are very beneficial to have around.  They are an important part of our ecosystems, and they even keep pests such as rodents under control.  In fact, snakes are so important that they are protected by law!  In the state of Missouri, The Wildlife Code of Missouri treats snakes as a protected non-game species. This means that there is no open season to hunt snakes, and it is against the law to kill them.

Pictured is a harmless ring-necked snake, a beautifully marked native in Missouri. (photo: Paige Davis)

Even though snakes spark fear in many people, they are much more afraid of you than you are of them!  Snakebites are not common, and most snakes would rather slither away then confront you.  Bites tend to occur when people accidentally make contact with a snake such as stepping on one.  If you are mindful of snakes and give them their space and respect, you will be able to appreciate these creatures safely.

Whether you are afraid of snakes or you love them, it is important to recognize which snakes are venomous and which are harmless.  All venomous snakes in Missouri are members of the pit viper family, and they share some recognizable characteristics.  These include:

 
1. A pit between the eye and nose on each side
2. Vertically shaped cat-like pupils
3. A single row of scales along the underside of the tail

A copperhead, Missouri’s most common venomous snake—note the pit below the eye and the vertical pupil (photo: Paige Davis)

By comparison, non-venomous snakes lack pits, have a circular pupil, and have a zipper-like pattern of scales along the tail. 

Venomous snakes in the state of Missouri include: the copperhead, cottonmouth, Western pygmy rattlesnake, Massasauga rattlesnake, and timber rattlesnake. The copperhead is Missouri’s most common venomous snake.  It is often confused for harmless water snakes such as the northern water snake.  Many harmless snakes are killed because they are thought to be dangerous.

This non-venomous water snake is harmless, but is often mistaken for a copperhead—notice the lack of a pit below the eye and the round pupil (photo: Paige Davis)

Snakes can be beautiful to observe in the wild.  But, if you are unsure of what species a snake is, never attempt to handle it.  Just leave it alone.  It is better to be safe than sorry when enjoying these fascinating creatures.

To learn more about snakes be sure to visit the World Bird Sanctuary Nature Center where we have several non-venomous snakes on display.  Our Naturalists will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Submitted by Paige Davis, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Birds in Concert 2015: Guest Artists Fowl Play

The World Bird Sanctuary “Birds in Concert 2015” presented by Ameren Missouri, will launch the third in the series on August 20th with performances by The Raptor Project followed by guest artists Fowl Play.

The World Bird Sanctuary’s in-house band, “The Raptor Project” takes to the stage to perform songs from their popular children’s environmental education CDs.  Learn fun and exciting facts about the animals we share our planet with as they share the stage with the Raptor Project!  Audience participation is encouraged! 

Be entertained by Fowl Play following the Raptor Project

Enjoy Fowl Play as they cover popular rock and pop songs from the classics to recent hits!  Started by St. Louis musician Jon Hutsler, Fowl Play is an “all-star” mash-up of local musicians that formed the band exclusively for performances at Birds in Concert.  From “Rockin’ Robin” to “Fly Like an Eagle”, there will surely be a bird-themed song for everyone at this fun-filled, danceable performance!

Raptor Project performances are followed by an intermission, where visitors can visit event sponsors Whole Foods Market and Reneway by Andeersen, and stand the chance to win great prizes.  After intermission, settle down for more exciting and fun family friendly music with Fowl Play,

Join us for another talent and fun-filled performance in our 2015 concert series.

WHEN:  August 20th

TIME:              7:00pm – 8:30 pm

ADMISSION:  FREE

PARKING:  FREE

Enjoy our amphitheater seating—or bring your lawn chairs and picnics

For the safety of our animals and our other guests, please no pets.

The Pileated Woodpecker

World Bird Sanctuary staff, volunteers and guests have enjoyed some new sanctuary residents for the past few months.  A Pileated Woodpecker (Hylatomus pileatus, formerly Dryocopus pileatus) pair has taken up residence in the woods near the nature center.

Pileated Woodpecker pair_note the full red crown on the male at the left, while the female has only a partial red crown (photo: wikipedia)

The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America, measuring 15.7–19.3 inches in length with a wingspan of 26-29.5 inches.  They are nearly the same size as an American Crow!  They have a large black body, with white stripes on their head, a long neck, and sport a beautiful sweeping, triangular red crest atop their head.  Males have an additional red stripe on the face.  The beak is long and chisel-shaped, which is perfect for pecking trees in search of insects.  Their long, barbed tongue will then probe the opened tree (or log) and pull the insects out. This tongue is so long it actually wraps up and around the back of the skull when not in use.

This woodpecker used to be far more common – especially in the eastern half of the United States.  As trees were cut down in great numbers in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, their numbers declined rapidly.  However, since the turn of the 20^th century, they have been increasing in number again.  Because of this, the sighting of a Pileated Woodpecker often invokes pure joy, even in a seasoned birdwatcher.

These woodpeckers are monogamous and hold a very large, year-round territory.  Unless you are lucky enough to see the young fledglings flying and foraging together, it is rare to see more than two at one time in any given area.  This territory is fiercely defended with loud drumming and ringing calls.  If one woodpecker of the pair loses its mate, it will however, take another.

A female Pileated Woodpecker searching a log for ants (photo: wikipedia)

Their very favorite food is carpenter ants, but they will also eat other ants, wood-boring beetle larvae, termites, and other insects such as flies, spruce budworm, caterpillars, cockroaches, and grasshoppers.  They also enjoy wild fruits and nuts; including greenbrier, hackberry, sassafras, blackberries, sumac berries, poison ivy, holly, dogwood, persimmon, and elderberry.  When looking for food they will excavate a characteristically rectangular hole in the tree.  They sometimes make such large holes that they can break a smaller tree in half.  Other birds – such as house wrens and other woodpeckers - may also come to enjoy the many insects revealed by the massive Pileated Woodpecker excavation.

A male Pileated Woodpecker excavating a tree in its search for insects (photo: wikipedia)

Their long, graceful neck comes into great use when the woodpecker is pecking the tree.  The longer neck allows the bird to pull its head further back from the tree to obtain a longer and stronger pecking action.  They will also simultaneously pull with their feet to increase the strength of the blow. 

A spongy, plate-like bone structure in the skull protects the birds' brains from injury during this aggressive process. They also have little subdural space between their brains and their skulls, so the brain does not have room to bump around as it would in humans.  In addition to this, their brains are longer top-to-bottom than front-to-back, meaning the force against the skull is spread over a larger brain area.  This unique anatomy has been the inspiration for vehicle shock absorbers in aircraft and spacecraft, for improving seat belts, and for designing better sports helmets.

A Pileated Woodpecker feeding from a suet feeder strategically placed amongst a grove of large trees (photo: Gay Schroer)

Pileated woodpeckers will live among both deciduous and coniferous trees.  For nesting sites, they choose the largest, oldest, dead tree in the forest.  These trees are not easy to come by, as the woodpeckers compete with around 85 other species of birds and about 45 species of mammals for the rights to this perfect nesting site.  The male woodpecker will shoulder the majority of the work when excavating their nesting cavity.  The female generally contributes when the hole is near completion, at about 10-24 inches in depth. These birds do not line their nests with anything except some of the leftover wood chips.

Three to five white eggs are laid in the nest and are incubated by both the male and the female.  The male generally takes the majority of the night shift and part of the day.  The nestlings are fed by regurgitation from the parents and they will leave the nest 26-28 days after hatching.  However, the youngsters may remain with the parents for an additional 2-3 months.

Pileated woodpeckers are fun to watch.  It is always a little surprising to see such an unusually large bird fly by!

 Come out to the World Bird Sanctuary and spend the afternoon walking and relaxing.  Have a picnic lunch on the grounds and do some bird watching, either strolling our grounds or sitting on our conveniently placed benches. Our surrounding hardwood forest attracts a wonderful collection of wild birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Take your time to breathe in the beautiful outdoors. Your peaceful, quiet day just might be interrupted by the raucous call and foraging drumming of the Pileated Woodpecker!

Submitted by Dawn Trainor Griffard, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Rising to the Challenge

Many of us have challenges in life; some, luckily, are momentary.  Other challenges can be permanent physical disabilities.  At the World Bird Sanctuary we have always strived to be as accessible and accommodating as possible to all of our visitors. 

Visitors' Center Touch Table (photo: Robin Kuehn)

One afternoon a gentleman who has sight impairment asked me what was available at WBS for him to experience.  I gave the man a tour of the center explaining each bird and I brought him to a touch table at the visitor center. The touch table has feathers, bones and fur for everyone to touch since we do not allow anyone to touch the birds.  I realized after his visit that we could do so much more. 

We have student interns throughout the year that are asked to complete an intern project during their time with the Sanctuary.  I assigned one of them the challenge of making the Sanctuary more inviting to visitors who might have sight impairments.  She invited local blind advocacy organizations to tour our grounds to give us recommendations on what we might do to improve the safety and enjoyment of sight impaired visitors. 

Many of our signs now have braille added to them (photo: Robin Kuehn)

As a result of this intern’s project we added braille to many of the signs at the Sanctuary. We changed chain entrances to solid gates. We painted yellow safety stripes throughout the center and we created a sensory tote bag for sight-impaired visitors to use during their visits. 

We have sensory tote bags for visually impaired guests (photo: Robin Kuehn)

The sensory tote bag contains a brail map and descriptions and information about the birds along with touch items such as feathers, skulls and bones.  The bag is available to the public by request at our visitor center near the entrance to the Sanctuary. 

Our grounds are now paved for easier navigation (photo: Gay Schroer)

We want every visitor’s time at the Sanctuary to be full of enjoyable moments.  We continued to better accommodate visitors when we paved the center.  We are very proud of our asphalt.  I never imagined how hard (expensive) it could be to pave the facility.  Thanks to the wonderful donors that helped make it happen.  The pavement makes it much easier for visitors to get around our property. 

Each building has a wheelchair which may be borrowed for guests with mobility issues (photo: Joe Hoffmann)

We also have wheelchairs available at every building on our grounds.  Just speak with one of our staff to find out where.

If you have any concerns or suggestions to make our center more accessible to visitors with challenges please contact me at 636 861-1392 and ask for Joe. 

Submitted by Joe Hoffmann, World Bird Sanctuary Rehabilitation Hospital Manager

Birds in Concert August 13, 2015: The Raptor Project

Birds in Concert at World Bird Sanctuary, presented by Ameren Missouri

Join World Bird Sanctuary and some of St. Louis’s favorite family bands for Birds in Concert 2015, sponsored by Ameren Missouri! 

The fun starts every Thursday evening at 7 pm.  Each concert lasts about 2 hours.

This week's concert features World Bird Sanctuary's in-house band, "The Raptor Project" performing their popular original songs while birds fly just inches over your heads.  Fun songs include "Turkey Named Fred", "Roadkill Shiver", "What's the Matter", "Animal Noises" and many others.

The Raptor Project always gets the crowd rocking (photo: Sandra Lowe)

Raptor Project performances are followed by an intermission, where visitors can visit event sponsors Whole Food Market and Renewal by Anderson, and stand the chance to win great prizes.  After intermission, settle down for more exciting and fun family music with the Raptor Project.

When: Thursday, August 13th -- The Raptor Project

Time:  7:00 p.m.

Directions:  Click Here

Admission and parking is FREE.  No reservations required.

For more information go to www.worldbirdsanctuary.org or call 636-225-4390 ext. 0.

Owl Eyes

Whether it be the reddish-orange of the Eurasian Eagle Owl or the stunning yellow of the Great Horned Owl, when most people see an owl for the first time they notice their eyes first. 

What most people notice first are the eyes (photo: Wm. Oberbeck III)

An owl’s eye is a highly specialized light gathering organ that has been refined over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. The structure of an owl's eye is not all that dissimilar to the human eye, but it has evolved to see better at night. 

First of all, the eyes are large to improve the light gathering capability, particularly in the low light conditions in which they prefer to hunt.  The owl eye shape is more long and tubular rather than the round shape of our eyes. 

Second, they are held in place by bony plates in the skull called sclerotic rings, which is why owls cannot move their eyes within their sockets. 

Third, the cilliary muscles that control the shape of the cornea, and the iris muscles that control the amount of light passing through the lens, are composed of striated muscle which contracts faster than smooth muscles.

 Fourth, the eye has a special structure called a pectin (a thin, folded structure that projects out from the back of the eye into the eye).  The pectin likely helps supply nutrients and oxygen while removing carbon dioxide from the retina. 

Lastly, an owl's retina has a higher rod (light sensing cells)-to-cornea (color sensing cells) ratio, which allows them to see better at low light levels at the cost of reduced capacity for color vision and generally lower visual sharpness.

In this photo you can see the nictitating membrane at the edge of the right eye (photo: Wm. Oberbeck III)

To shield their eyes from harm, owls come equipped with three eyelids.  They have the normal upper and lower eyelids, but they also have a third eyelid called a nictitating membrane.  This membrane is a thin layer of opaque tissue that closes diagonally across the eye, from the inside outwards.  This membrane moistens the eye surface while cleaning it of dirt and microscopic organisms.  They also use this special membrane right before impact with potential prey, presumably to protect the cornea from scratches or other possible damage.

The next time you visit the World Bird Sanctuary be sure to pay special attention to the eyes of our resident owls.  Not only are they a remarkable adaptation, but they make for great close-up photos.

Submitted by William Oberbeck III, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Modern-day ‘Mythical’ Creatures

The creation of mythical creatures in history is often the result of a primitive perception of an event or behavior observed in relation to an existing bird, mammal, or reptile.   Today, we can explain these events or behaviors through research and study.

Even in the modern day, pictures or mounted versions of unusual animals crop up in our culture and generally a person could question, for a period of time, whether that creature was real or not.  The term used to describe many of these modern-day mythical creatures is a ‘hoax’.  These hoax animals are often the result of a practical joke and presented in such a convincing manner that many individuals may believe it was real initially.

A classic example would be the Jackalope.

 A mounted Jackalope (photo: wikipedia)

As the story goes…Jackalopes have the body of a rabbit and the antlers of an antelope.  They are a species thought to be extinct, but rare sights of pocket populations have been found in Western America.  A contributing factor theorized for their small numbers is that they only mate when flashes of lightning occur.  They are credited with the ability to mimic human sounds and often utilize this ability to avoid capture.  Jackalopes are also highly aggressive and will use their antlers to fight.

The Jackalope was first introduced in the 1930s by two brothers, Douglas and Ralph Herrick, when they combined the body of a recently killed rabbit with a pair of deer antlers in their taxidermy shop.  The stuffed ‘Jackalope’ became a very popular souvenir of visitors in their hometown of Douglas, Wyoming.

Among the birding community, we have the ‘almost seen’ or ‘almost captured’ Bare-fronted Hoodwink bird species.  The existence of this species has only been inferred by ornithologist, M. F. Meiklejohn, who studied these very shy and ‘only partially seen’ birds.  He stated that this species can be identified by its blurred appearance and extremely rapid flight away from the observer.  He had an interesting statistic in that amateur bird watchers were more skilled in pinpointing this elusive species than more experienced bird watchers.

Another convincing animal hoax was the Hot-headed Naked Ice Borer presented in a 1995 April DISCOVER magazine article.

A doctored photo of a Naked Mole Rat claimed to be the Hot-headed Naked Ice Borer (photo: wikipedia)

 A wildlife biologist, named Aprile Pazzo, was studying a penguin population along the coast of the Ross Sea when the penguins panicked and one rapidly sank into the ice.  When she pulled the trapped penguin out, several hairless and mole like creatures were attached to the penguin’s lower body by their sharp incisors. She would collect several of these strange creatures for study.  Adults were half a foot long and weighed only ounces.  With their high metabolic rate (body temperature at 110 degrees), they could radiate their incredible heat through a bony plate located on their forehead.  Using the concentration of heat, they would bore their way through the ice and melt the ice underneath their favorite prey: penguins.

The article was printed as an April Fool’s joke in the DISCOVER magazine with the researcher ‘Aprile Passo’ meaning ‘April Fool’ in Italian.  The article received many response letters from institutes joking and asking where they could obtain a few specimens for display for researchers expanding the biology, habit, and physiology of hot-headed naked ice borers.  A recent printing of the 1995 article and humorous response letters can be found here. 

When you attend one of the World Bird Sanctuary educational shows you can be certain that the information you receive, although always entertaining, will not be a myth, legend or April Fool's joke.  The facts surrounding the animals featured  at WBS shows are so amazing that no fabricated myths or legends are needed.

Submitted by Jessica Bunke, Naturalist/Trainer

Birds in Concert 2015: Guest Artist Javier Mendoza

The World Bird Sanctuary “Birds in Concert 2015” will launch number 1 in the series on August 6^th with performances by The Raptor Project followed by guest artist Javier Mendoza.

The World Bird Sanctuary’s in-house band, “The Raptor Project” takes to the stage to perform songs from their popular children’s environmental education CDs.  Learn fun and exciting facts about the animals we share our planet with as they share the stage with the Raptor Project!  Audience participation is encouraged! 

Guest artist Javier Mendoza (photo: Gay Schroer)

The Raptor Project will be followed by the immensely popular Javier Mendoza.  Javier has sold over 50,000 albums and has received many honors throughout his career, including “Best Solo Artist”, “Best Male Vocalist” & “Best Pop Artist” by the Riverfront Times Music Awards.  He was also a finalist in the Independent Music Awards and was selected as a Budweiser True Music Artist.  Javier has released 14 albums and shared the stage with such notable artists as Willie Nelson, Los Lobos, The Roots, Ben Folds and many more.  His dedication to creating new and different material and his passion for live performance keeps bringing the fans back again and again. 

Whether he’s playing for 10 people or a crowd of 10,000, Javier makes each show unforgettable.  The physical and emotional energy he delivers is truly amazing and must be experienced to be believed.

Join us for this talent filled kick-off to our 2015 concert series.

WHEN:  August 6^th

TIME:              7:00pm – 8:30 pm

ADMISSION:  FREE

PARKING:  FREE

Prizes and Giveaways by Whole Foods Market 

and St. Louis Sprout & About 

Birds in Concert is sponsored by Ameren Missouri 

Enjoy our stadium seating—or bring your lawn chairs and picnics

For the safety of our animals and our other guests, please no pets.

A Walk Down the Exhibit Line with a Twist

For a recent World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer Meeting I was asked to take some photos of our birds from a different angle as a fun quiz.

 This month I have opted to share some of these with all of you. See how many of these fun photos you can figure out. Some of these are easy and some stumped even some of our staff who work with these birds daily. Good luck and have fun!

 Answers are at the end. 

1.  This one can be found outside the Wildlife Hospital Weathering area. He is a semiretired education bird. They hunt at night time. They eat almost any small animal that walk, swims, or crawls. They are named for the feathers on top of their head. 

2. This one can also be found outside in the Wildlife Hospital Weathering Area. He is also an education bird. He came into our wildlife hospital with feathers that were growing in upside down, making it difficult for him to fly. This is where he received his name. He is also named for the color of his shoulders. 

3. Our next guest lives on the exhibit line two cages down from the library, on the right. They’re two injured, long legged birds that have some amazing dances. 

4. Number three’s next door neighbor. She is growing up before staff’s eyes. She can often be seen sunning herself. 

5. These two live across from number 4. They love to swim in the water. In August, one of them will often make a guest appearance in our Birds in Concert event. 

6. There are four of them and they are similar to number 5. All four birds are injured and are from Florida. They can only be seen on our exhibit line during the summer. 

7. This last one is my favorite. I have received many compliments on this photo. He can be seen further down on our exhibit line. Last year he was a proud father of many little ones. He is named after one of our songs by our band and a cartoon character. 

 How many did you get right? 

1. Junior- Great-horned Owl 
2. Flip- Red-shouldered Hawk 
3. Sandhill Crane 
4. Dorothy- Andean Condor 
5. Mudflap- White Pelican 
6. Brown Pelican 
7. Fred-Royal Palm Turkey 

Article and photos submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Is That Snake Venomous?

Many people have a fear of snakes.  Some people will even go so far as to kill any snake they encounter. 

Even though they may look slithery and creepy, snakes are very beneficial to have around.  They are an important part of our ecosystems, and they even keep pests such as rodents under control.  In fact, snakes are so important that they are protected by law!  In the state of Missouri, The Wildlife Code of Missouri treats snakes as a protected non-game species. This means that there is no open season to hunt snakes, and it is against the law to kill them.

Pictured is a harmless ring-necked snake, a beautifully marked native in Missouri. (photo: Paige Davis)

Even though snakes spark fear in many people, they are much more afraid of you than you are of them!  Snakebites are not common, and most snakes would rather slither away then confront you.  Bites tend to occur when people accidentally make contact with a snake such as stepping on one.  If you are mindful of snakes and give them their space and respect, you will be able to appreciate these creatures safely.

Whether you are afraid of snakes or you love them, it is important to recognize which snakes are venomous and which are harmless.  All venomous snakes in Missouri are members of the pit viper family, and they share some recognizable characteristics.  These include:

 
1. A pit between the eye and nose on each side
2. Vertically shaped cat-like pupils
3. A single row of scales along the underside of the tail

A copperhead, Missouri’s most common venomous snake—note the pit below the eye and the vertical pupil (photo: Paige Davis)

By comparison, non-venomous snakes lack pits, have a circular pupil, and have a zipper-like pattern of scales along the tail. 

Venomous snakes in the state of Missouri include: the copperhead, cottonmouth, Western pygmy rattlesnake, Massasauga rattlesnake, and timber rattlesnake. The copperhead is Missouri’s most common venomous snake.  It is often confused for harmless water snakes such as the northern water snake.  Many harmless snakes are killed because they are thought to be dangerous.

This non-venomous water snake is harmless, but is often mistaken for a copperhead—notice the lack of a pit below the eye and the round pupil (photo: Paige Davis)

Snakes can be beautiful to observe in the wild.  But, if you are unsure of what species a snake is, never attempt to handle it.  Just leave it alone.  It is better to be safe than sorry when enjoying these fascinating creatures.

To learn more about snakes be sure to visit the World Bird Sanctuary Nature Center where we have several non-venomous snakes on display.  Our Naturalists will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Submitted by Paige Davis, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist