Species Showcase • Bald eagle With wingspans up to 7.5 feet and vision eight times sharper than humans, bald eagles are built for the hunt. They snatch fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates out of rivers, lakes and marshes using razor-sharp talons. Eagles aren’t afraid of pickpocketing prey from other birds, either. Bald eagle nests are enormous, spanning 5–6 feet across and 2–4 feet deep. January and February are the best months to see bald eagles in Illinois. More than 3,100 of these regal birds spend winter here annually. It’s one of the largest populations of wintering bald eagles in the contiguous U.S.
Owls family Strigidae
Woodland
Medium | Extra Large
Forest preserve hotspots hotspots •
Captain Daniel Wright Woods (Mettawa)
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Fort Sheridan (Lake Forest)
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Lyons Woods (Waukegan)
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Pine Dunes (Antioch)
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Ryerson Conservation Area (Riverwoods) Barred owl Strix varia
Eastern screech owl Megascops asio
Eastern screech owl
Great horned owl Bubo virginianus
Long-eared owl Asio otus
Northern saw-whet owl Aegolius acadicus
Short-eared owl Asio flammeus
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Snowy owl
Bubo scandiacus
18
Short- eared owl
Barred owl