Jennifer came to Wisconsin later in life, but has fully embraced the great state of Wisconsin as home. Her first career was as a professional ballet dancer, but a lifelong passion for nature and animals led her to a second career in environmental biology. She loves to learn new things and share her love of nature with others. In her free time she likes to travel and stay active with her awesome husband and sweet little dogs.
The Killdeer is a widespread and familiar plover. This hardy, native shorebird can be found living and nesting in a wide variety of habitats from farm fields to grocery store parking lots. They are one of the first spring migrants to return to Wisconsin. The Killdeer prefers wide, open spaced areas where they can easily survey terrain; switching between quick jaunts and abrupt, short rest periods. They are the least water dependent of all shorebirds and prefer areas where they can easily find insect prey.
The Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) is a medium-sized, woodland hawk native to Wisconsin. This common accipiter is lanky in appearance, with a large head, long tail and narrow, straight-edged wings.
The Coyote (Canis latrans) is a handsome mammal native to Wisconsin. It has a German sheperd-like appearance, with a yellowish coat and whitish throat and belly. Its back has a darker lateral stripe which extends all the way down to the tail's tip. Proportionally, the coyote's ears are much larger than the similar looking wolf. It is much smaller in size however, weighing between 40 - 100 pounds less.
The Mink (Mustela vison) is a beautiful native Wisconsin animal with lusterous, thick fur. It often has prominent white spots underneath its chin giving it the look of a milk mustache. This round-eared, tubular-shaped mammal has partially webbed toes suitable to its semi-aquatic lifestyle. It is larger than most members of Mustela, similar in size to a marten. Unlike other mustelids however, it does not turn white in the winter. It retains its magnificent dark coat throughout the year and is often easily spotted along streams and ponds in the winter against the stark white backdrop of snowcover.
The raven (Corvus corax) is a massive black-colored bird with a large bill and near 1 meter wingspan. It can be distinguished from a crow by its long, wedge-shaped tail and shaggy throat feathers.
The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is native to Wisconsin and should not be confused with its descendent, the domestic turkey.
Copyright © 2023 The Urban Ecology Center