BALD EAGLE

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

IDENTIFICATION: The bald eagle is the largest bird of prey, or raptor, found in Florida. They are quite easy to identify with their white heads and tails, dark brown bodies, and bright yellow legs and beaks. They have an impressive wingspan of 6-7 1/2 feet. Typically, the eagles found in the southern United States are smaller than their northern relatives.

RANGE AND HABITAT: The numbers are small, but they can be found through much of the United States. Florida has the second highest number of bald eagles in the United States (Alaska has more).They are almost always found near water.

REPRODUCTION: In Florida the bald eagle breading season lasts from November to January. Their nests are huge! They often reach 7-8 feet across and 12 feet deep. Bald eagles nest for life and will often add new material to the same nest site year after year. They lay 2-3 eggs and incubate them for a little over a month. About 2 1/2 months later the young begin leaving the nest to learn how to fly. By that time, the young are as big as the adults but will not get their white heads and tails for 4-5 years.

DIET: The main portion of their diet is fish. Although they are excellent fishers, they often steal food from ospreys. They also eat a wide variety of other mammals and birds. Occasionally, they will eat carrion, and can be seen eating animals that were hit by cars.

FUTURE: Bald eagle numbers are increasing. In 1999, they were down-listed from the Federal Endangered Species List to a threatened species. They have been listed as a threatened species in the state of Florida for quite some time, and are still doing well.However, habitat loss is becoming an increasing concern for these birds.

FEMALE BALD EAGLE

Our female bald eagle comes to us from Kansas. Typically, females are larger and heavier than the males.

Her diet consists mainly of rats and fish. She is fed every day. When she is especially hungry she will wait on her perch and take the food right out of the naturalist's hand, which can be a bit frightening when you look at the size of her talons and beak!

She spends much of her day standing on one of the perches in her cage. When anyone goes in to clean her cage she stands in one corner and does not let anyone get too close.  It sounds like she barks at you.

You may visit your female bald eagle during regular Museum hours.

MALE BALD EAGLE

The male bald eagle had been hit by a car, and had to have a wing amputation. The bald eagle does not molt into its adult white head and tail feathers until 5 years after it hatches.

His diet consists of rats and fish. He would appreciate donations of fresh caught ladyfish, snapper and large bluegill. He really loves freshly caught fish and will usually begin eating them before the person feeding them gets a chance to leave the cage! All of the food must be dead before he gets it since he only has one wing and would be unable to catch live prey.

He has several perches that he uses, and he spends a lot of time on the ground, which is unusual compared to most of our birds. He is very vocal when we enter his enclosure, but tolerates us quite well.

He is probably the most popular bird in the aviary, and is able to educate people by being on display. Each year as he molts, his feathers are collected by staff and given to Native Americans to use.

You may visit the male bald eagle during regular Museum hours.

Mosquito Fish

Our mosquito fish live outside in the turtle pond.  They are called mosquito fish because they eat mosquito larvae.  They help keep the population of adult mosquitoes down.

Green Iguana

The Nature Center has a green iguana.  He is a herbivore and eats fruits and vegetables.  He especially loves grapes, hisbiscus leaves and flowers.  He was not well-taken care of by his previous owner, and he now has a better life at the Nature Center.  You can visit him in our Exotics Room during regular museum hours.

Pig

Pigs are a genus of even-toed ungulates within the family Suidae. The name hog most commonly refers to the domestic pig (Sus domestica) in everyday parlance, but technically encompasses several distinct species, including the wild boar. Swine is a collective noun generally used to describe pigs as a group rather than an individual, however it may often be implied in a pejorative manner to any living being expressing pig-like behavior.

With around 2 billion on the planet, domestic pigs are also by far the most numerous pig species.  Pigs are omnivores, and despite their reputation for gluttony, they are generally social and intelligent animals.

A pig has a snout for a nose, small eyes, and a small tail, which may be curly, kinked, or straight. It has a thick body, short legs, and coarse hair. There are four toes on each foot, with the two large middle toes used for walking.

A litter of piglets typically contains between 6 and 12 piglets.  After the young are weaned, two or more families may come together until the next mating season.

Pigs do not have functional sweat glands, so pigs cool themselves using water or mud during hot weather. They also use mud as a form of sunscreen to protect their skin from sunburn. Mud also provides protection against flies and parasites.  Their bristly hairs are also used for brushes. Some breeds of pig, such as the Asian pot-bellied pig, are kept as pets.

Our feral hog used to be someone's pet.  His owner thought he was a Vietnamese Potbellied Pig.  But, 500 pounds later, she knew otherwise.  He now has a permanent home at the Nature Center.

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Individual Great Horned Owls range in length from 18-27 in (46-68 cm) and have a wingspan of 40-60.5 in (101-153 cm); Females are larger than males, an average adult being 22 in (55 cm) long with a 49 in (124 cm) wingspan and weighing about 3.1 lbs (1400 g). Bergmann's Rule generally holds: larger individuals are found towards Polar regions, smaller towards the Equator.

Adults have large ear tufts, a reddish, brown or gray face and a white patch on the throat. The iris is yellow. Its "horns" are neither ears nor horns, simply tufts of feathers. The underparts are light with brown barring; the upper parts are mottled brown. The legs and feet are covered in feathers up to the talons. There are individual and regional variations in color; birds from the sub-Arctic are a washed-out, light-buff color, while those from Central America can be a dark chocolate brown.

Their call is a low-pitched but loud ho-ho-hoo hoo hoo; sometimes it is only four syllables instead of five. The female's call is higher and rises in pitch at the end of the call. Young owls make hissing or screeching sounds that are often confused with the calls of Barn Owls.

Great Horned Owls can be easily confused with the Magellanic Horned Owl (B. magellanicus) and other eagle-owls.

One of our owls has a permanent wing injury from being tangled up in a barbed wire fence.  He's about 10 years old.  Our second Great Horned Owl is also a male.  He's between 4 and 5 years old.  He was found by elementary students in a field next to their school.  He was so badly injured, one of his wings had to be removed.

400 gallon salt water Tank

In our salt water tank, we have a grouper and a grunt.  Grouper are highly prized by fishermen.