ODNR Division of Wildlife - Wild Kids - Parents and Educators

Falcon Cam Scavenger Hunt


Grade Level: 5-6

Subject(s): science, technology, environmental science

Duration: 30 minutes, plus prep and wrap-up

Description:
 Students will complete a scavenger hunt from the Division of Wildlife’s peregrine falcons web link.

Goals:

Students will…

  • gain a better understanding of wildlife through the Division of Wildlife’s Web page.
  • learn about peregrine falcons and their importance though a fun activity.

Objectives:

The activity is designed so that students will understand basic facts about peregrine falcons, become familiar with falcon management in Ohio, study the recovery of an endangered species, and become proficient in Web site navigation.

Materials:

Associated Vocabulary:

  1. Peregrine Falcon- scientific name is Falco peregrinus, which means "falcon wanderer"
  2. Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane (DDT)- chemical used as a pesticide during the World War II era and until 1972
  3. Ëstoopí- Another name for the process of diving at prey
  4. Leg bands- Identification for birds
  5. Scrape- Peregrine’s nest
  6. Hacking- the process by which young falcons raised in captivity are slowly released to the wild

Procedure:

  1. Students will be given a question sheet and given access to the Division of Wildlife’s Web site (www.wildohio.com). All of the answers to the sheet can be found in the FalconCam section of the Web site.  Find the link to the FalconCam under the features tab at the bottom of the page. 
  2. Students will then search for the questions until the scavenger hunt is complete. This will promote learning through a fun activity.

Assessment:
Students can be assessed on the total number of question completed correctly.

Example Questionnaire:

Printable Question Sheet
Printable Answer Key

(Answers are located at www.wildohio.com, under the FalconCam link)
1. What is the scientific name for a peregrine falcon? 

2. What does the scientific mean?

3. What other bird are peregrine falcons compared to in size?

4. How does the peregrine falcon obtain its food?

  • The falcon delivers a powerful blow to its prey with a half-closed foot. It retrieves the dead bird either in mid-air or after it falls to the ground. (Falcon Facts)

5. What are the peregrine falcons drives at prey also called?

6. Where is the FalconCam located?

7. When was the FalconCam started?

8. What are peregrine falcons misidentified as? (Four birds)

9. When were peregrine falcons placed on the federal endangered species list?

10. Why were peregrine falcons endangered?

11. In what year were peregrine falcons downlisted to threatened in Ohio?

12. Where are the bandings and blood samples of the young sent?

13. How many and what kinds of leg bands do peregrines get and what do the codes mean?

  • The first band is a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) band which contains a number unique to that individual falcon. The color of this band can help identify the geographic region where the bird was banded. For birds that are hatched in the wild, the USFWS band is placed on the right leg. On falcons that were part of a release program, the USFWS band is placed on the left leg.
  • A second band is placed on the leg opposite of the USFWS band. This band is usually one or two colors and may only have a few numbers and/or letters; these symbols are larger and repeated several times around the band. The colors of this band also help identify the geographic region where the bird was banded and the symbols can be traced back to an individual bird
    (Falcon FAQ)

14. What is the life span of a peregrine falcon?

15. What is the term for peregrine falcons nest?

16. How many peregrine falcons were fledged in the eastern and central United States in 1965?

17. How is the Ohio’s Division of Wildlife’s Peregrine Falcon Management Program Funded?

  • Contributions to the Endangered Species and Wildlife Diversity Fund (State Income Tax Check-off, Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamps, and Wildlife Conservation license plate) (Falcon Facts)

18. How much does a peregrine falcon eat in one day?

19. Do peregrine falcons migrate?

  • Yes and No. Northern locations are more likely to migrate. (Falcon FAQ)

20. What are the predators of peregrine falcons?

  • Great horned owls, martens (not in Ohio) and some snakes prey on young falcons (Falcon FAQ)

21. What does the term “Hacking” mean?

  • Hacking is the process by which young falcons raised in captivity are slowly released to the wild (Falcon FAQ)

22. What was the first nesting pair of Peregrines to Columbus in 1993? How many young were raised?

  • "Aurora" and "Bandit" raised a total of 19 young in five years of nesting  (Falcon FAQ)


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