The buzz

If you think about large, imposing birds that we see soaring above or perched on high while scanning for a meal, raptors like hawks and eagles probably come to mind. Maybe even owls. But there's another kind of raptor we see that can be just as imposing — falcons, three species of which can be seen in Illinois.

We usually only have one vulture species in town, but in places where their ranges overlap, turkey vultures and black vultures can be difficult to distinguish from one another.

Robins are among our most common and familiar birds, known to almost all even at a young age. But there's more to them than meets the eye.

Not all the plants and animals that grow and thrive in their ecosystems belong there. Some are non-native, and among those are some that are considered invasive.

Why do some animals prowl around under the cover of darkness? Because it helps them survive and thrive. 

Have you ever been lucky enough to spot a snowy owl? Learn what makes these owls such a prized find.

The sight of a squirrel zipping up, down and all around our trees and forests is a familiar one to most people, but the zany antics of these critters can be the work of one of two species: fox squirrels or gray squirrels. Learn the difference between them.

Think you're doing the deer a favor by feeding them in winter? You're actually doing them much more harm than good.

That furry, brown critter scurrying along the shoreline might just be an American mink, one of our lesser known semiaquatic mammals. 

Plenty of humans go bald, but do other animals lose their hair as they age?