Review and images by Fembrogon; edited by bmathison1972
If you were to ask me what my favorite owl species was, I think I could safely say the barn owl is my pick. The most famous and widespread of species under the Tyto genus, Tyto alba is iconic for its striking plumage, silent flight, and piercing cry – earning it the nickname “ghost owl”.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
When I was a child of eight or nine my dad gave us cassettes with audio plays once in a while which he brought from the big city where he worked. One of these plays was The Children of Captain Grant (or In Search of the Castaways) by Jules Verne.
Review and images by Fembrogon; edited by bmathison1972
I would like to start by offering my genuine thanks to Happy Hen Toys for this generously offered review sample. Happy Hen toys is one of the best current retailers for extant & extinct animals alike, from brands including CollectA, Mojö Fun, and of course Schleich.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is perhaps the most quintessential and famous of all eagles. For certain it is the most widespread, ranging across the continents of North America, Europe, and Asia. It has also figured prominently in human culture more than any other bird.
The barn owl (Tyto alba) is one of the most widely distributed birds in the world, and the most widely distributed owl species, living on every continent except Antarctica. As such, it features prominently in many different myths and legends around the world. Going by ominous names such as ghost owl, death owl, and demon owl you can get an idea of how the barn owl typically figures into local beliefs, making it the perfect animal to review this Halloween season.
Review and images by Takama; edited by bmathison1972
Editor’s Note: In honor of Independence Day, we are transferring over a walk-around of an iconic American animal, the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).
Ok, in the fall and early winter, bald eagles migrate from the south to make there nests in my area of the Mississippi River.
Although they share the vulture moniker the Old World vultures of the Accipitridae family and the New World vultures of the Cathartidae family are not closely related. Their similar appearance and feeding habits are the result of convergent evolution. They are however more closely related than was once assumed. For a time, the New World vultures were thought to be more closely allied to storks than other birds of prey.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
The cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) is one of the largest raptorial birds of Europe, with wingspans reaching close to 3 metres. It is also known as the black vulture (despite not being black at all, but at least considerably darker than other vultures) and in my home country Germany it is usually called monk vulture, for its head appears like it wears a tonsure.
When a species goes extinct, you take out one piece of the food web, affecting everything above and below it. When the Moa went extinct, so too did it’s main predator, the largest eagle to ever have existed, Haast’s eagle, Hieraaetus. Once it flew through the forests of New Zealand, preying on the Moa, grabbing their pelvis and slashing their neck with their sharp talons, which gave them their initial (and cooler sounding) scientific name of Harpagornis.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Glaring sun scorches the land as a venomous death silently slides towards its den beneath the sparse shade of the burned grass. Suddenly night falls and accompanied by a hot but soft wind, eight fiercely piercing blades start to cut all life from its automatically wildly curling body.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo), or simply eagle owl, is one of the two biggest owl species (the other being Blakiston’s fish owl, B. blakistoni). A female, which like all owls, grows larger than the male, can achieve a wingspan of more than six feet and weigh 4.6 kg(10 lbs), close to the size of a golden eagle.
Another Incredible Creatures walk-around! This time it’s the huge IC American bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766). One of the more rigid IC figures. Its total length is about 21.0 cm, making the scale approx. 1:4 – 1:5. I was very happy to get this one as part of the prize for a photo contest by Safari Ltd.
