The tufted titmouse seems to be a cheerful bird – at least it sounds that way from its cheerful “peter-peter-peter” song. This small bird is mostly gray with a soft white belly. Most individuals have a light tan-colored patch on their sides, just below their wings.
Have you ever seen a skink? Skinks are pretty cool creatures. They are small lizards which are native to North America and many other parts of the world. The Five-Lined Skink, in particular, is a very handsome and colorful little lizard.
There are about 29 native species of ducks in North America today, from mallards and pintails to redheads and gadwalls – just to name a few. That does not even include the various species of mergansers, grebes, loons and geese.
Beetles are among the most common insect species on Earth. In fact, there are over 400,000 species of beetles known today, and those are just the species we know about right now. More species are being discovered and named every year.
In the western United States, the second largest member of the deer family roams the mountains and meadows. This is the elk, or wapiti as they were known to Native Americans when Europeans first appeared on the continent.
The Northern Flicker is a large woodpecker that lives throughout the United States and most of North America. These birds are a bit larger than an American Robin and are often seen on the ground, similar to Robins.
In the western United States, the fastest land animal is the Pronghorn. They look like antelope, and many people called these animals “pronghorn antelope” and “prairie antelope”, but they are actually not antelope at all.
Hornets! Bald-Faced Hornets! When some people hear those words, their first thought is to run! But there is no need to fear bald-faced hornets in most cases.
The Eastern Phoebe is a very accomplished flycatcher. This bird is dark brown on its back, head and wings (dark gray on some individuals), and has a white or off-white belly and breast.
Of all the different frog species in North America, one of the most unusual and interesting is the Crawfish Frog. These shy frogs spend most of their lives underground, so few people ever see them.
American Crows are large, common birds that can be found throughout most of the United States and even much of Canada during the breeding season. One area that they really avoid is the dry, desert regions of the southwest USA.
A lot of people do not like snakes. But snakes are actually a valuable part of the environment, and they have an important role to play wherever they live. Most snakes are totally harmless, too.
