North America’s Largest Hawk By John Hughes The Ferruginous Hawk, Buteo regalis, whose name means a kingly or royal hawk, is so named for its large size and eagle-like appearance. Its common name Ferruginous comes from the Latin word ferrugo, meaning rust, to describe the rusty brown color of the species’ light morph. While uncommon…

THE HOWDY BIRD By Jeannie Marcure According to a recent article in the Yakima Herald Republic, the pioneers often saw the bird that we know today as the Burrowing Owl as they crossed the western prairies. Because it stood at the entrance to its burrow, bobbing up and down as if to greet them, they…

THE BARRED OWL:  WHO COOKS FOR YOU? By Ben Long The first Barred Owl I ever saw appeared when I was sitting along the edge of a meadow, waiting for an elk to appear. No elk did. But I did watch a brown, medium-sized owl swoop silently from the timber shadows, chasing a chipmunk as…