Ohlone Audubon Society

Serving Southern and Eastern Alameda County

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January Membership Meeting: Mimicry in Raptors
Tuesday 07 January 2020, 07:30pm
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Presenter: Hans Peeters
Location: Carlton Plaza. 3800 Walnut Avenue, Fremont 94538

Do you ever struggle to identify raptors? Don’t feel bad – it happens in the best of families. But have you ever wondered WHY so many raptors look like others? Why does a Sharp-shinned Hawk HAVE to look so confusingly similar to a Cooper’s Hawk? It is not just to baffle birders -- humans aren’t the only ones being fooled! Mention of mimicry in nature instantly brings to mind butterflies and orchids, but who would ever think of one kind of HAWK pretending to be another species? Few people realize how common the phenomenon is in birds of prey. The raptor world around the globe, and especially in the tropics, abounds with often colorful impostors of dangerous and more potent models – that might eat them! Come and bedazzled by a sampling of these doppelgangers, and be prepared to see some examples that will blow you away.

Hans Peeters has entertained Ohlone Audubon members over the years mostly with talks about the avifauna in exotic lands, but he is first and foremost a raptor biologist. His insights on mimicry in raptors were published in a German journal in 2017. Hans taught biology, zoology, and ecology for 37 years and is an award-winning painter of wildlife and author of books including Raptors of California, Owls of California and the West, and Mammals of California, all published by University of California Press.

Directions: Carlton Plaza, Fremont: Go right from the lobby around towards the rear of the building; the room is on the left side near restrooms and an exit door.
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