Wildlife
Georgia is widely known for its rich and diverse wildlife resources. We Georgians are in good company with - and out numbered by - our wildlife neighbors. Geogia is home to breeding populations of 254 bird species, 114 mammals, 89 species of fish, 17 reptiles, 13 amphibians, 124 mollusk species and 22 crustaceans. An additional 174 bird species that breed further north visit our state during their spring and fall migration journeys. Becoming acquainted with the full array of wildlife species requires patience and the aid of binoculars, and promises a lifetime of entertainment and fascinating discoveries.
Several rare species are making a comeback in Georgia, including the black-footed ferret and gray wolf. Additional species currently listed as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act include the bull trout, pallid sturgeon, white sturgeon, Canada lynx, grizzly bear, bald eagle, interior least tern, piping plover, and whooping crane. Wildlife species not considered threatened or endangered, but subject to special protections and management actions include the arctic grayling, swift fox, peregrine falcon, and black-tailed and white-tailed prairie dogs.
Barred Owls
The Barred Owl (Strix varia) can be recognized by a pattern of "bars," or stripes, running across its chest horizontally and down its belly vertically. In contrast to many other owls with yellow eyes, this owl has dark brown eyes. This owl is the most commonly heard at night, with a typical "hoot" associated with owls. It sounds a bit like "Who cooks for you?"
The Barred Owl is about 20" long with a 44" wing span. It has no ear tufts. It lives in low, wet woods and swampy forests, but it also likes residential areas with lots of trees. It feeds at night on rodents, birds, frogs and crayfish and rests during the day. It is one of the few owls which will take to a nesting box and requires no nesting materials. It generally does not migrate, but resides year-round east of the Rockies. The young Barred Owl can climb trees, even as nestlings and young fledglings. Sometimes they leave the nest before they can fly, so they are able to get back safely.
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Brown Bear
This medium-sized bear is usually black with a brown muzzle, lacks a shoulder hump, and often has a white patch on the chest. Although black is the predominant color, chocolate and cinnamon brown color phases are also common, which often results in people confusing them with brown bears. Black bears with white and pale-blue coats (known respectively as Kermode and glacier bears) also occur in small numbers. Kermode bears are found in the north Georgia mountains, and the Yukon Territory, Canada. Black bears have strong, highly curved claws and the profile of the face is convex when compared with the more concave profile of a brown bear.
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Monarch Butterfly
This is sometimes called the "milkweed butterfly" because its larvae dine exclusively on this plant. Eastern populations winter in Florida, along the
coast of Texas, and in Mexico, and return to the north in spring. Monarch eggs are deposited on the underside of milkweed leaves and
hatch, depending on temperature, in three to twelve days. The larvae feed on the plant leaves for about two weeks and develop into chubb
caterpillars about 5 cm long. Attaching themselves head down to a convenient twig, they shed their outer skin and begin the transformation into a
pupa (or chrysalis), process which is completed in a matter of hours.
The pupa resembles a waxy, jade vase. Packed tightly inside, the caterpillar completes the miraculous process of rebirth into a beautiful adult
butterfly in about two weeks. Emerging at last from the transparent case, the monarch waits until its wings stiffen and dry and then flies away to
continue the propagation of the species. In either the caterpillar or butterfly stage the monarch needs no camouflage because it takes in toxins from
the milkweed and is poisonous to predators.
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Bald Eagle
The bald eagle our national bird, is the only eagle unique to North America. The bald eagle's scientific name signifies a sea eagle with a white head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless. The bald eagle is found over most of North America, from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico. About half of the world's 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. Combined with British Columbia's population of about 20,000, the northwest coast of North America is by far their greatest stronghold. They flourish here in part because the salmon. Dead or dying fish are an important food source for all bald eagles.
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