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Natural History
Woodpeckers have been around for a
long time: their fossil remains date back
25 million years and they’re widely
distributed, with 45 species in the US
and more than 200 worldwide. Nine
species either live year-round in
Pennsylvania or visit the state in winter.
Once there were so many gray squirrels in
Pennsylvania that they were considered nuisances
by pioneering farmers. In fact, bounties were paid
on 640,000 squirrels in 1749, and many more were
doubtless taken for the table. Settlement and
development of our state has changed the habitat,
and squirrel numbers have decreased since the
18th century
Natural History (cont.)
Owl fossils found in Midwestern United
States date back about 60 million years.
Eight species of owls either live in
Pennsylvania or visit the state in winter.
Beaver fur is thick and considered valuable;
untanned pelts brought four dollars each in the
early 1800s, when the skins were used to make top
hats and to trim clothes. By the end of the
nineteenth century, uncontrolled trapping had
eliminated beavers in Pennsylvania and other
states, but today this aquatic furbearer is back.
Ecosystems
Forests
Grasslands
Grasshopper Sparrow,
Eastern Meadowlark,
Bobwhite Quail
Fisher, Black Bear,
Scarlet Tanager,
Wild Turkey,
Brown Creeper
Ecosystems (cont).
Specific Roles
Wetlands
Beaver, Snapping Turtle,
Red Winged Blackbird,
Bluebird, American Robin,
Eastern Gray Squirrel,
Urban and Suburban
Chipping Sparrow, American Robin,
Deer Mice, Cottontail Rabbit
Specific Roles
Goldfinch
Each animal has a role or function within its habitat.
This role is referred to as its ecological niche.
A goldfinch lives in fields, eats seeds and in doing so
helps disperse the plant species throughout the area.
Of course the goldfinch itself may be a source of food
for a hungry Cooper’s hawk.
Cooper’s Hawk
Examples of Species
White-tailed Deer
Gray Squirrel
Bobcat
Raccoon
Eastern Cottontail
Examples of Species (Cont’d)
Eastern Towhee
Blue Jay
Northern Flicker
Barred Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
How Habitats Can Be Improved For Specific Species
Barn Owl
Changing land use and agricultural
practices have led to a decline in Barn Owl
populations. Shifting from pasture to row
crops and a loss of nesting sites are the
most serious problems for this species,
which also result in lower meadow vole
populations. Increasing the meadow vole
population by changing methods will likely
result in growth of the Barn Owl population.
Preservation of caves used by Indiana
bats for hibernation presents an
interesting challenge. Access to the
caves should be restricted to prevent
human disruption of the bats’
hibernation; but access restrictions
such as doors or walls can block the
caves’ airflow and raise the
temperature inside, preventing the bats
from hibernating as deeply and
causing them to use their fat reserves
more quickly. Such alterations in
airflow can have a large impact.
Indiana Bat
Osprey
In the early 1900s ospreys
nested along the state’s rivers
and streams, but habitat
destruction and water pollution
made these areas unsuitable.
Osprey populations were
further decimated through the
effects of pesticides on their
reproductive capabilities.
Reviving their habitat and
cleaning the water osprey
population.