Woodlands
Forests with trees spaced apart, allowing sunlight to reach the ground.
Blue Jay
Blue Jay
Scientific Name
Cyanocitta cristata
Weight LB
0.16–0.22 lb
Average Life Span
7-26 years
Fact
Blue Jays are incredibly smart, mimic hawk calls to scare other birds, and their blue color comes from light, not pigment (their feathers are brown!), but a truly fun fact is their ability to pack their throat pouch with many seeds or acorns (over 100 sunflower seeds at once!) to hide and transport for later, helping to plant oak trees. They are also known for "anting," rubbing ants on themselves, possibly to help with digestion or pest control, and they mate for life.
Weight KG
0.07–0.1 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Type
Birds
Diet
Omnivore
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Region
North America
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Scientific Name
Sciurus carolinensis
Weight LB
0.8–1.3 lb
Average Life Span
12.5-20 years
Fact
Eastern gray squirrels are like nature's little gardeners because they bury thousands of nuts and seeds and often forget where they put them, helping new trees grow, and they can even run down trees headfirst by rotating their hind paws backward to grip the bark. They also communicate with various calls and tail flicks to warn others of danger and have incisors that grow continuously, needing to gnaw to keep them filed down.
Weight KG
400-600 g
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Type
Mammals
Diet
Omnivore
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Region
North America
Northern Cardinal
Northern Cardinal
Scientific Name
Cardinalis cardinalis
Weight LB
0.075–0.095 lb
Average Life Span
3–5 years (up to 15 years in captivity)
Fact
Five Fun Facts About Northern Cardinals – Forest Preserves ...A fun fact about Northern Cardinals is that both males and females sing, with females often singing from the nest to communicate with their mates, and they are famous for fiercely attacking their own reflections in windows during breeding season, mistaking it for a rival. They get their vibrant red color from carotenoids in their diet, and if they lack these pigments, they can appear duller or even yellowish, a rare genetic condition called xanthochromism.
Weight KG
0.034–0.043 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Type
Birds
Diet
Omnivore
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Region
North America
Raccoon
Raccoon
Scientific Name
Procyon lotor
Weight LB
4.4-30.8 Lbs
Average Life Span
2-20 years
Fact
Raccoons are incredibly smart and have human-like dexterity in their paws, allowing them to solve complex puzzles and open locks, with their "washing" behavior actually enhancing their sensitive touch to feel their food better; their black eye mask reduces glare, improving their excellent night vision, and they can even rotate their hind feet 180 degrees to climb down trees headfirst.
Weight KG
2-14 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Type
Mammals
Diet
Omnivore
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Region
North America