Named for the males slate colored upper parts, the Blue Grouse is the largest of Montana’s three species of “mountain grouse.”
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The Spruce Grouse of Kootenai Country Montana has an interesting display mode and inhabits spruce and other coniferous forests.
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Inside rocky cliff edges and small caves, the Peregrine Falcon keeps a vigilant watch over the rivers, wetlands and lakes below.
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The American Kestrel speeds like a dart out of the sky in Kootenai Country Montana, a quick flash of slate blue, chestnut and rufous is often all one sees.
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Wild Turkeys overall are native to North America. A large sized male can reach 48-inches in length and over 16-pounds, with the record bird recorded by the National Wild Turkey Federation at a whopping 37.1-pounds!
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Ruffed Grouse are the most widespread and common grouse in Kootenai Country Montana. In our neck of the woods, the Ruffed Grouse are affectionately called woods chickens.
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The common name of pigeon hawk was given to the merlin (Falco columarius), because of this bird of prey’s tendency to take small birds such as sparrows, finches, and waxwings. In reality, the pigeon hawk is not a hawk at all, rather it is the smallest member of the falcon family present in western Montana.
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Goshawks exist by being able to precision hunt these areas and have less competition here from other raptors. Somehow, they can magically maneuver through the somewhat open understory and only occasionally use more open areas where other birds of prey hunt.
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Although one of the most common hawks in Kootenai Country Montana, the red tailed hawk can offer some challenges in identification at times. The Red Tailed hawk is a Buteo, more specifically Buteo jamaiconsis. Buteo is a Latin term meaning “a kind of hawk.”
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The Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) is listed as a species of special concern in Kootenai Country Montana. These birds are the smallest hawks in North America, but are very efficient predators. The hawks are about 10-14 inches in body length, and have an average wingspan of 21 inches.
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The name Osprey is believed to stem from a medieval Latin word avis prede, meaning bird of prey and a Latin term ossifraga defined as bone breaker. Ospreys are dark brown above and whitish below and have a barred tail. The head is white with a distinctive brown eye stripe extending from the eye to the shoulders.
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High above the Fisher River Valley of Kootenai Country Montana, a large Turkey Vulture soars. As it does, the wings are in a slightly dihedral position in a shallow V-shape. The static soaring flight pattern on a rising thermal is typical of this bird, only infrequently flapping its wings. When it tips its wings from side to side, the sun highlights the gray flight feathers and a silvery flash is seen in the sky.
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The Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii) is a medium size forest hawk about 14-22 inches in length and a wingspan of about 25-35 inches. Adult males are steel gray on the back, with a black crown and a pale neck and face. The belly is white with clearly visible horizontal reddish bars which extend from the neck to the tail and legs.
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The Northern Hawk-Owl (Surnia ulula) is a rare winter visitor to Montana. This owl is usually found in northern coniferous forests to the tundra edge. Irruptions of this species occur when food sources grow minimal up north, and the hawk-owls travel south into northwest Montana. This is a very vocal owl, with three more common calls.
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Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) can reach 5-feet tall, with a wingspan of six feet. In late March to April, they frequently display a courtship-defensive behavior that can be fairly intimidating.
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The bufflehead duck (bucephala albeola) is quite popular with birders. The scientific name comes from a Greek and Latin combination term meaning buffalo headed, whitish duck. Also known as the Spirit Duck, this buoyant, small bodied, large headed duck quickly disappears and reappears as it feeds.
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The common goldeneye’s common name refers to its tawny colored irises. The two-part scientific name comes from Greek and Latin. The old Greek word boukephalos is in reference to buffalo headed, and the term clangula is Latin for small noise, which ties in the whistling sounds these ducks’ wings make in flight.
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In Northwest Montana, this species (Lophodytes cucullatos) is closely connected with a variety of forested wetland and riparian systems. These may include association with coniferous, deciduous, or mixed forests. Habitat types include small lakes, beaver ponds, wetlands and adjacent ponds, forested creeks, and at times larger lakes and rivers.
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Snowy owls (Nyctea scandiaca) are not native to this area, but do travel into Kootenai Country Montana. Snowys come down from their native territory in the arctic during irruptions. Irruptions are basically movements of these owls south after a successful breeding season to spread out competition for a limited food source. In this case, these food sources are lemmings, a small rodent native to arctic territory.
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Some unique behaviors of these hawks have been discovered through recent research. One of their calls actually sounds similar to a cat-like mew that lasts from 1-2 seconds, and is repeated 15-30 seconds apart. On an average, this species eats 3-5 small mammals per day. Recent studies show these aerial predators concentrate often on areas with vole burrows, tunnels, and urine deposits.
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