Spring Nature Challenge
Can you find these animals that remind us spring is here?
AMERICAN ROBIN
Food group- Omnivore (earthworms, insects, fruits)
Habitat- Forest, urban areas
Fun facts- Lays 3-4 blue eggs, 2 broods often raised, young leave nest after about 2 weeks
CANADA GOOSE
Food Group - Herbivore (grains, grasses, various plants)
Habitat - Marshes, ponds, wetlands
Fun facts - Mates for life, migrate in flocks, goslings leave nest in about a day
LADYBUG
Food Group - Omnivore or Herbivore depending on type (aphids, mites, plants,
mildew, pollen)
Habitat - Forests, grasslands, urban communities
Fun facts - Consumes up to 5,000 insects in a lifetime (~ 1 year), plays dead if threatened, is not a bug but a beetle
MALLARD
Food Group- Omnivore (grains, wetland plants, freshwater shrimp, snails)
Habitat- Marshes, ponds, wetlands
Fun facts- Dabbling duck, male has a bright green head, female is mottled brown
to blend in when on a nest, nest in grasslands and fields, lays on average 9 eggs, ducklings travel up to 3 km to reach water
AMERICAN RED SQUIRREL
Food Group- Omnivore (nuts, seeds, insects, mushrooms, eggs)
Habitat- Forests, parks
Fun facts- Lives in trees, is territorial, stores food for the winter, doesn't hibernate,
raises up to 7 kittens (young) per litter, its long tail is used for balance
THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRREL
Food Group- Omnivore (seeds, grass, grains, eggs, insects)
Habitat- Grasslands, fields, roadsides
Fun facts- Lives in burrows underground, hibernates during the winter, sense of smell, eyesight and touch are very good, eaten by hawks and other predators
LEOPARD FROG
Food Group- Carnivore (eats insects, beetles, worms, small frogs)
Habitat- Marshes, ponds, wetlands
Fun facts- Large green or brown frog with large dark spots, food is swallowed with
the aid of its eye muscles, a group of frogs is called an army!
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
Food Group- Omnivore (eats insects and seeds)
Habitat- Marshes, ponds, wetlands, uplands
Fun facts- Male has a large red wing patch used to attract mates, wing patch displayed in territorial disputes, lays 2-4 eggs, distinct call that sounds like "choke-eree"
WESTERN MEADOWLARK
Food Group- Omnivore (eats insects and seeds)
Habitat- Grasslands, pastures
Fun facts - Part of the blackbird family, often sings on a post, performs a flight song, builds a partially domed nest
MONARCH BUTTERFLY
Food Group- Herbivore (nectar)
Habitat- Gardens, grasslands, roadsides, pastures
Fun facts - Its bright colour tells predators it doesn't taste good, Monarch caterpillars feed mostly on the leaves of the milkweed, migrates south to Mexico for the winter
AMERICAN CROW
Food Group- Omnivore (seeds, fruits, insects, mice, eggs, nestlings)
Habitat- Forests, grasslands
Fun facts- Intelligent, lives on average 7 to 8 years, usually lays 5 eggs, nests in trees, overwinters in groups
JACK RABBIT
Food Group- Herbivore (roots, leaves, bark, grass)
Habitat- Open spaces like grasslands and fields
Fun facts- Not a rabbit but a hare, has long ears to listen for predators, feeds mostly
at night, rests during the day, maximum leap-3 m, maximum speed -
64 kilometres/hour, runs a zigzag pattern to confuse chasing predators
Photo credits: J. Paul Goossen
