bopperz's Identifications

Northern Mockingbird
This organism was found in the Polos Apartment neighborhood sitting on top of a car. The ambient temperature was about 85°F, a very sunny day, no rain or high winds. This animal was alone and did not seem to be interacting with other species.
Clade Archosauria- elaboration of keratin integumentary structures ( feathers)
Class Aves-endothermic, there is a presence of feathers, and it has a large breast bone allowing for wing flapping
Order Passeriformes- anisodactyl arrangement of toes
-medium-sized slender bird
-grayish above and whitefish below
-long tail
-rounded wings and small heads with long, thin bills
-ability to mimic everything from sirens to crickets to other bird species

Hot sunny day with temperature of 87 F. Individual was on a pole on the barrier between a heavily wooded area and a field. There were no other individuals of the same species nearby. It did not react to the presence of people.

Class Amphibia: tetrapod with moist, skin with no scales
Order Anura: enlarged hindlimbs for jumping
Family Hylidae: enlarged toe pads, horizontal pupil

Green Treefrog: light green coloration with white stripe down the side of the body (not squirrel treefrog)

Visual Description: These Spanish Mosses were observed in a semi urban environment growing around 5 feet long from the branches they were attached to. They were light grey colored and were not observed to be blooming.

Habitat: Spanish Moss can be found in the southeast United States as well as in tropical South America. Spanish Moss are usually found in wet habitats such as swamps, rainforests, and other regions near water.

Defining Characteristics: Because of their late summer flower bloom, we can tell that Spanish Moss are angiosperms which also makes them seed plants. They are also epiphyte plants as they attach (but do not parasitize) other larger plants such as cypress and oak trees.

Reference: https://www.tybeemarinescience.org/naturalist/spanish-moss/

https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/natural-resources/sustainability-spanish-moss/