LOOKING FOR RAPTORS (RAPACES)

I am not sure when the term started to mean birds of prey, but much like we were obsessed with dinosaurs, Princess Pirate is obsessed with the modern raptors (birds of prey). So it was with great excitement that we returned to St. Bruno park for a demonstration put on by the park.

There were taxodermy models, posters and binoculars (jumelles). There was a whole new vocabulary to learn.

 



Can you tell the differences in the silhouette?

La crécerelle d'Amérique is the smallest, also known as the kestrel. We know it from Granby Zoo and the Forestry Farm as an endangered species.
Le faucon émerillon is a merlin.
Le faucon gerfaut is the gyrfalcon, the largest falcon.
Le Faucon pèlerin is the peregrine falcon.
Le Pygargue à tête blanche is the bald eagle.
L'aigle royal is the golden eagle.
L'urubu à tête rouge is the turkey vulture.
Le balbuzard pêcheur is the osprey.
La buse à queue rousse is the red tailed hawk.
La buse à épaulettes is the red shouldered hawk.
La petite busse is the broad-winged hawk.
La buse pattue is the rough-legged hawk.
Le busard Saint-Martin is a hen harrier. Its genus is Circus, from the circling behaviour common to birds of prey.
L'épervier de Cooper is Cooper's hawk.

These are all birds we can see in eastern North America.
The eight highlighted in orange were the diurnal ones to look for in Quebec.
Mostly, we saw vultures and crows!

SPOILER ALERT!

1. Buse/Hawk
2. Epervier/Eagle or sparrow hawk
3. Faucon/Falcon
4. Urubu/vulture