Biodiversity In Minnesota By: Cole Harms

Mourning Dove The mourning doves scientific name is Zenaida macroura. The mourning dove is a blue gray bird. Adults grow up to 12 inches in length and has a pointed tail. Mourning doves mate in the spring. The female lays 2 eggs. Once the two eggs hatch the leave the nest at 11 to 15 day old. The mourning doves mate twice a year. Mourning doves eat fruit, seeds, insects, and gain from fields. Mourning doves live out in the country side, in town, and in open forests. In winter the mourning dove migrate south. But some stay in southern Minnesota. So predators of the mourning dove are the raccoon, cats, and falcons. Mourning doves are one of the most common bird in the U.S. Two fun facts about the mourning dove is that they are one of the only bird to produce milk and both male and female are exactly the same in appearance.

Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel (Minnesota Gopher) The Minnesota gopher is a small rodent with different shades of brown, and has white and dark lines down its back. The Minnesota gopher’s mate in the spring after they come out of hibernation. They have about 8 gophers in litter. Sometimes they have a second litter in late summer. The Minnesota gopher eats grass, leafs, seed, small birds, and lizards. Some predators of the Minnesota gopher are hawks, owls, fox, coyotes, snakes, and weasels. The Minnesota gopher lives wherever grasslands exists. Fun fact of the Minnesota gopher is that they really do have 13 lines on them.

Sauger Saugers are long and thin, with dark backs, brassy sides, dark spots, and a pale belly. They have a forked tail with a pale streak on the bottom edge. Some saugers have a black spot on their body near where pectoral fin attaches. Saugers are usually less than 3 pounds and 18 inches in length. Saugers spawn in spring in water 2 to 8 feet deep. The female lays 15,000 to 40,000 eggs for each pound of her body weight. Young saugers hatch after 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the water temperature. Young sauger eat zooplankton and insect larvae. Adults also eat fish, leeches, and crayfish. Some predicators of the sauger are people, so do larger predatory fish like muskies. Sauger prefer cloudy, moving water Sauger are found in large lakes and river systems and live with their cousin the walleye. Sauger are not stocked in lakes and streams in Minnesota. Fun fact this fish is often mistaken for a walleye

Spring Peeper Description: The Spring Peeper 3/ /4 inches in length. Color: The Spring Peeper is tan with a dark X on its back. Reproduction: A single female Spring Peeper can produce 800-1,000 eggs. Eggs are attached to vegetation and hatch in two to three days. Transformation occurs within eight weeks. Breeds in fishless, temporary wetlands associated with forested habitat. Habitat: Breeds in fishless, temporary wetlands associated with forested habitat. Body can withstand partial freezing. Population: Spring peepers have no special status in Minnesota. Fun Fact:. Body can withstand partial freezing.

Paper Birch Description: Height 65' to 70', diameter 14" to 20"; twigs dull orange or red during first winter, later become brown; open crown; grows singly or in clusters. Bark: Thin, papery, separates into thin sheets that often roll up; bark thickens on old trees, becoming dark. Leaf: length 2" to 3"; oval or heart-shaped, pointed, rounded at base, irregularly toothed; becomes thick and leathery in texture; dull on upper side and yellowish-green on lower side; turns light yellow in autumn.