ADAPTATION /ad ap TAY shun/ noun
: an inherited change in a living thing that better fits it
for survival in its environment
AERIE /AHR ee/, EYRIE /EYE ree/ noun
: the nest of a large bird located high in a tree, or on a cliff or mountaintop
PLEASE NOTE: These two spellings are simply variations of the same word.
Both spellings are correct, although aerie is more commonly used.
BEAK /BEEK/ noun: the bill of a bird; especially: the hooked bill of a bird of prey
that is adapted for tearing
BEHAVIOR /bih HAY vyur/ noun
: the way an animal acts often in response to something in its environment;
especially: an inherited pattern of automatic responses (such as courtship
or nesting)
BINOCULAR VISION /bih NAK yuh lur VIZH un/ noun
: a way of seeing using both eyes looking straight ahead that results
in a three - dimensional view
BIRD OF PREY /BURD uhv PRAY/ noun: a predatory bird that uses its hooked beak and sharp talons to catch
and eat other animals - also called RAPTOR
CAMOUFLAGE /KAM uh flahzh/ noun
: concealment by blending in with the background
CAMOUFLAGE /KAM uh flahzh/ verb
: to hide by blending in with the background
DDT /dee dee TEE/ noun
: a powerful combination of chemicals developed to kill insect pests that builds
up in the environment and poisons many types of animals (such as peregrines,
bald eagles and ospreys) - see PESTICIDE
DIURNAL /dy URN ul/ adjective
: active by day - see NOCTURNAL
EAR TUFTS /IHR TUHFTS/ noun
: a pair of movable clusters of feathers on the head of some owl species
(such as the screech owl and the great horned owl) that resemble ears
in position and shape
ENDANGERED /in DANE jurd/ adjective
: in danger of becoming extinct
ENVIRONMENT /in VY run munt/ noun
: the total of all the factors (such as temperature, humidity, light,
rainfall and other living things) that affect a plant or an animal -
see HABITAT, TERRITORY
EXTINCT /ik STINGKT/ adjective
: no longer existing
FACIAL DISKS /FAY shul DISKS/ noun
: the two circles of short, specialized feathers that surround an owl's eyes
GLIDE /GLYDE/ verb
: to coast a short distance (usually from a higher point to a lower point)
with the wings held outstretched but without flapping - see HOVER, SOAR
HABITAT /HAB uh tat/ noun
: the particular part of the environment where a plant or an animal
naturally lives - see ENVIRONMENT, TERRITORY
HOVER /HUV ur/ verb
: to fly in one place by beating the wings and spreading the tail - see GLIDE, SOAR
IMPRINT /IM print/ noun
: an animal that has grown up with people and identifies with people, not with its own kind
MIGRATE /MY grayt/ verb
: to fly (usually in the spring and fall) from one area or climate to
another for feeding or breeding
MOB /MAHB/ verb
: to pester a predator (such as an owl, a hawk, a cat or a snake) by swooping
at it and making a great deal of noise, usually done by a mixed flock of small bird
MOLT /MOHLT/ noun
: the process of sheddng feathers and growing new ones (usually done once a year)
MOLT /MOHLT/ verb
: to shed feathers and grow new ones
NOCTURNAL /nak TURN ul/ adjective
: active by night - see DIURNAL
PELLET /PEH lut/ noun
: a rounded mass of tightly packed, indigestible material (such as fur,
feathers and bone) formed in the stomach of many different kinds
of birds (such as eaglesl, falcons, hawks, owls, herons, crows, gulls
and kingfishers)and regurgitated several hours after eating
PEREGRINE /PAIR uh grin/, PEREGRINE FALCON /PAIR uh grin FAL kun/ noun
: a very fast kind of falcon that now nests on bridges and tall buildings in cities(such as Boston,
Fall River and Springfield in Massachusetts and Hartford in Connecticut.
PLEASE NOTE: Both peregrine and peregrine falcon are names used for this fast flier.
Both are correct, although peregrine is more commonly used.
PESTICIDE /PES tuh side/ noun
: a chemical used to kill pests such as insects or rats and mice - see DDT
PLUMAGE /PLOO mij/ noun
: all the feathers that cover a birds' body
PREDATOR /PRED ut ur/ noun
: an animal (such as a hawk, a wolf, a cat or a spider) that hunts, kills and
eats other animals
PREY /PRAY/ noun
: an animal (such as a rat, a mouse, a vole, a rabbit or an insect) that is hunted,
killed and eaten by other animals
RAPTOR /RAP tur/ noun
: a predatory bird (such as an eagle, a falcon, a hawk or an owl) that
uses its hooked beak and sharp talons to catch and eat other animals -
also called BIRD OF PREY
RESIDENT /REZ ud unt/ noun
: an animal that stays in the same area all year around without migrating
SCAVENGER /SKA ven jur/ noun
: an animal that eats dead things
SOAR /SOAR/ verb
: to ride on moving air on outstretched wings (as a hawk rides on a thermal) - see
GLIDE, HOVER
TALON /TAHL un/ noun
: the long, sharp, curved claw of a bird of prey
TERRITORY /TEHR uh tore ee/ noun
: an area used for hunting or nesting that is defended by an animal -see
ENVIRONMENT, HABITAT
THERMAL /THER mul/ noun
: a rising column of warm air
WINGSPAN /WING span/ noun
: the distance from the tip of one outstretched wing to the tip of the
other outstretched wing
