Do you like my winter coat? One way for birds to stay warm is by fluffing their feathers - creating air pockets for added insulation!
Photo: Short-eared owl courtesy of Steve Gifford. https://flic.kr/p/dGr8oN
Do you like my winter coat? One way for birds to stay warm is by fluffing their feathers - creating air pockets for added insulation!
Photo: Short-eared owl courtesy of Steve Gifford. https://flic.kr/p/dGr8oN
North Americaโs largest salamander, the hellbender, doesnโt use lungs to breathe. Lungs are used for buoyancy and oxygen is absorbed through the skin!
Photo: Ozark hellbender by Jill Utrup/USFWS.
Wondering what this fox is doing? Just harnessing the earthโs magnetic field to hunt! Like sharks, turtles and birds, fox can see whatโs called a โring of shadowโ that helps it sense prey.
Photo: Red fox courtesy of Per/Creative Commons. https://flic.kr/p/iycmwN
Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge is turning 80 today! Help celebrate by learning about what makes this flyway hotspot so special. http://go.usa.gov/x9C6h
Photo: Celebrating Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge by USFWS.
Catch up with our top posts of the week with the weekly wrap-up! http://go.usa.gov/x9CfB
Hairy woodpeckers look very similar to downy woodpeckers, but are larger with a much longer bill. Hereโs a great comparison!
Photo: Hairy and downy woodpeckers courtesy of Kelly Colgan Azar/Creative Commons. https://www.flickr.com/puttefin/
Yellow-breasted chats spend winters in Central America. They migrate at night, with some birds traveling across the Gulf of Mexico!
Photo: Yellow-breasted chat courtesy of Mick Thompson/Creative Commons. https://flic.kr/p/c8ZRQf
The waters at Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin have started to freeze, so the waterfowl will soon be moving on. What a beautiful scene!
Waterfowl in a winter wonderland! These waterfowl had to find some open water during the cold and snowy weather this weekend. Most of the refuge pools have started to freeze and form ice. Photo: Winter Waterfowl by Larry Palmer.
Great news! Weโve restored and enhanced more than 330,000 acres of habitat for monarchs and other pollinators this year. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2hrswrQ
Photo: Monarch Caterpillar on common milkweed in Minnesota by Courtney Celley/USFWS.
In less than two decades, habitats and fisheries that were once defined as degraded are now world class. Learn more about Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and wish them a happy 15th birthday! http://go.usa.gov/x9aDS
Photo: Winter on the refuge by Dick Skoglund/USFWS.
Winter is here and that means that longer days are ahead. Who's looking forward to having a little more light to enjoy the outdoors?
Happy Winter Solstice! The days will start getting longer now and warmer temperatures have returned (at least for awhile). We hope you can visit over the holidays!
Photo by D. Stanley/USFWS
It may seem like it has been here for a while, but today itโs official - welcome to winter!
Photo: Snowy trees by Courtney Celley/USFWS.
The male house finchโs red pigment comes from food eaten while molting. Wild food sources like mulberries and other plants high in carotenoids help make redder males who tend to have more success mating.
Photo: House finch courtesy of Mark Moschell/Creative Commons. https://flic.kr/p/PRA56E
This short-eared owl was recently spotted in Big Stone County near part of Morris Wetland Management District in Minnesota. Have you spotted any?
A short-eared owl was recently spotted near the Artichoke Lake Waterfowl Production Area in Big Stone County
Alex Galt/USFWS
It's common for skunks to wake in the winter to search for food. Once their stomachs are full, they head back to their den and sleep!
Photo: Striped Skunk courtesy of Dan Dzurisin/Creative Commons. https://flic.kr/p/7VVaoZ
Most wildlife seem to tolerate snow quite wellโฆ but when snow lands on your face, you can't do anything but freeze in your tracks!
Photo: Two deer courtesy of Rennett Stowe/Creative Commons. https://flic.kr/p/dueNJM