American Bald Eagle

Nobility in miniature!

Our Plastic American Bald Eagle

Made of solid plastic by Safari, Ltd., one of the best names in plastic toy animals, this american bald eagle measures 3 1/4 inches from beak to tail and is 2 3/8 inches tall. It stands balanced on its feet and tail. The word "EAGLE" is molded on the bottom. This sturdy, durable raptor is also excellent for school projects, novelties, party favors or even as a children's toy. You can make a wonderful birds of prey shoebox diorama using this and other plastic creatures from our gift shop. Best of all, there is no mess, no feeding, and no tank or cage cleaning :) Come look through our entire collection of eagle toys and gifts.

About American Bald Eagles

Bald eagles are large predatory sea birds who follow waterways to reach inland areas. They are found only in North America. Bald eagles can fly up to 30 mph, and can dive up to 100 mph.This explains why they are so adept at snatching fish out of the water with their feet. Mature bald eagles generally weigh between 9-12 pounds, with a wing span of about 7 feet. Bald eagles mate for life. A female usually lays 2-3 eggs a year. By three months of age, her young are able to fly, and are often on their own a month later. Bald eagles reuse their nests, adding more nesting material each time it is reused. Because of this, some nests reach as much as 10 feet across, and can weigh as much as 2000 pounds. Strict conservation efforts have enabled the bald eagle's status to be upgraded from "endangered" to "threatened" in the lower 48 states.

In May 2004, we visited the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. One of the most interesting parts of our visit was the VERY GOOD animal presentation at their outdoor stage. One of the animals they presented was a beautiful bald eagle. We learned that when the eagle was named, the word "bald" didn't mean "hairless" as it does now; it meant someone with white hair. Now the eagle's name makes more sense! Below you can see a photo of the eagle I took that day at the presentation, where we were allowed to get close to the animals at the end of the talk. By the way, if you get a chance to visit, it's a really nice zoo in a marvelous natural setting. And be sure to see the animal presentation!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

American Bald Eagle

Happy Independence Day from TPF!!!

Our Plastic American Bald Eagle

Made of solid plastic by Safari, Ltd., one of the best names in plastic toy animals, this american bald eagle measures 3 1/4 inches from beak to tail and is 2 3/8 inches tall. It stands balanced on its feet and tail. The word "EAGLE" is molded on the bottom. This sturdy, durable raptor is also excellent for school projects, novelties, party favors or even as a children's toy. You can make a wonderful birds of prey shoebox diorama using this and other plastic creatures from our gift shop. Best of all, there is no mess, no feeding, and no tank or cage cleaning :) Come look through our entire collection of eagle toys and gifts.

About American Bald Eagles

Bald eagles are large predatory sea birds who follow waterways to reach inland areas. They are found only in North America. Bald eagles can fly up to 30 mph, and can dive up to 100 mph.This explains why they are so adept at snatching fish out of the water with their feet. Mature bald eagles generally weigh between 9-12 pounds, with a wing span of about 7 feet. Bald eagles mate for life. A female usually lays 2-3 eggs a year. By three months of age, her young are able to fly, and are often on their own a month later. Bald eagles reuse their nests, adding more nesting material each time it is reused. Because of this, some nests reach as much as 10 feet across, and can weigh as much as 2000 pounds. Strict conservation efforts have enabled the bald eagle's status to be upgraded from "endangered" to "threatened" in the lower 48 states.

In May 2004, we visited the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. One of the most interesting parts of our visit was the VERY GOOD animal presentation at their outdoor stage. One of the animals they presented was a beautiful bald eagle. We learned that when the eagle was named, the word "bald" didn't mean "hairless" as it does now; it meant someone with white hair. Now the eagle's name makes more sense! Below you can see a photo of the eagle I took that day at the presentation, where we were allowed to get close to the animals at the end of the talk. By the way, if you get a chance to visit, it's a really nice zoo in a marvelous natural setting. And be sure to see the animal presentation!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Stuffed Pelican

A lovable and unique addition to any collection!

Our Plush Pelican

Our stuffed pelican is a sheer delight. It is 15 inches from its floppy brown and pink cloth beak to its wiggly fur tail. It is 7 inches from wing-tip to wing-tip. It has a cute tuft of hair on the crown of its head and its plastic eyes are surrounded by bright pink material. This stuffed pelican makes a perfect companion for a child or fits wonderfully into any stuffed animal collection.

About Pelicans

A pelican is any of several very large water birds belonging to the family Pelecanidae. Birds in this family have a distinctive pouch under the beak. They occur mostly in warm regions, but pelicans also frequent the cooler water off the Pacific Northwest (United States and Canada), especially in the summer months. They are large birds with an amazing pouched bill. Pelicans often fly as a flock. They have excellent eyesight. They dive well and can also swim. Fishermen watch for pelicans, since they locate bait fish with such ease. They often catch fish by expanding the throat pouch. Then they must drain the pouch above the surface before they can swallow. This operation takes up to a minute, during which time other seabirds are particularly likely to steal the fish. Large fish are caught with the bill-tip, then tossed up in the air to be caught and slid into the gullet head first.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Stuffed Atlantic Puffin, Audubon Birds Series

A beautiful replica of an amazing bird!

Our Stuffed Atlantic Puffin

Our stuffed Atlantic puffin has a removable "Press Here" tag so you can hear the recorded voice of a real Atlantic Puffin. The Atlantic puffin replica was designed as part of the popular Audubon Birds Series by Wild Republic. It is 6 inches tall with bright colors and a soft body . As with all of Wild Republic's toys, this plush Atlantic puffin meets the most stringent current standards of safety for children's toys. All parts are non-toxic and surface washable. Check out our other puffin toys and gifts and the rest of our Wild Republic Audubon Birds Series replicas.

About Atlantic Puffins

The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) spend eight months of the year floating on the North Atlantic. During summer, they live in/occupy remote nesting islands on both sides of the Atlantic. In North America, they nest from Maine to Newfoundland. Puffins can dive to 200 feet, dig burrows eight feet deep, and live 30 years or more. Learn how to Adopt-a-Puffin and how Audubon brought puffins back to the Maine coast at http://www.projectpuffin.org/.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Northern Goshawk Replica

An agile and cunning woodland predator!

Our Plastic Northern Goshawk Replica

Our realistic-looking plastic northern goshawk replica is is somewhat flexible. It stands firmly on the ground with its wings outstretched, but you can bend the feet, wings and tail. They will spring back to the original position, but the flexiblity and rubber-like surface insure that they are not likely to scratch or injure a child. This toy hawk could be useful to hawk collectors, as a gift to a child to help teach them about animals, as part of a school diorama, or as a bit of decor for your home. The hawk's lifelike appearance makes it one of the items we refer to as "museum-quality," as you might find this bird in a museum diorama or gift shop. The shapes of the feathers are moulded into the plastic on both the top and bottom side of the bird, and the legs are also textured. Check out our other eagle, hawk, and other raptor toys and gifts.

About Northern Goshawks

The northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is a medium-large raptor occupying the temperate parts of the northern hemishpere. It is the only species of goshawk in North America and Europe, where it is referred to simply as "goshawk" (which means "goose-hawk"). They range in weight from 18 ounces to nearly 5 pounds, and can have a wingspan ranging from 35 to 50 inches. Like all raptors of the family Accipiter (including eagles, buzzards, and harriers), males are 10-25% smaller than females.

Hunting primarily in woodland habitats, the northern goshawk ambushes its prey through a combination of speed and obstucting cover, feeding on any small mammals or birds they are lucky enough to find.

In North America, several conservation organizations petitioned the United States Government in 1991 and 1997 to list the Northern Goshawk as 'threatened' or 'endangered', primarily due to the loss of natural habitat due to clear-cutting of old-growth forests throughout the goshawk's habitit. Both petitions were denied.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plush California Condor

A conservation success story!

Our Stuffed California Condor

Our stuffed California condor has a removable "Press Here" tag so you can hear the recorded voice of a real California condor. The California condor replica was designed as part of the popular Audubon Birds Series by Wild Republic. It is 6 inches tall and a 14 1/2 inch wingspan with a soft body . As with all of Wild Republic's toys, this plush California condor meets the most stringent current standards of safety for children's toys. All parts are non-toxic and surface washable. Check out our other raptor toys and gifts.

About California Condors

The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) belongs to the vulture family. It is only found along the coastal mountains of North America, Baja California and the Grand Canyon. The California condor is black in color with white on the underside of its wings with its skin color often a bright red. It scavenges for dead animals and therefore is susceptible to eating toxic substances. It has an amazing wingspan of up to 9 feet. It flies gracefully and up to speeds of 50 miles an hour. This condor has played an active role in Native American lore and has been reproduced frequently in Native American art. The condor almost faced extinction and through one of the most active conservation and breeding programs in America, its numbers have improved. As of 2005, there were only 273 individuals including 127 in the wild remaining. Thanks to the efforts of the Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos, this amazing bird may remain one of the most significant natural beings of our hemisphere.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Stuffed Dodo Bird

A unique and special gift!

Our Stuffed Dodo Bird

This engaging, realistic-looking stuffed dodo bird is soft and cuddly. The body is made of soft, plush, high quality, fur-like material. Hansa products exhibit fine workmanship, reflecting a European quality, unmatched in other stuffed animals. It is 8 1/2 inches long and 9 inches tall. The stitching is impeccable. The body color is gray brown and white and its head has an adorable face and beak. Our dodo bird replica has a kindly expression and promises not to love you. This dodo makes a nice pet,or gift,and fits perfectly into any stuffed animal collection. Check out our other dodo bird toys and gifts.

About Dodo Birds

The dodo bird (Raphus cucullatus) was a flightless bird found only on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It was related to pidgeons and doves and stood about 3 feet tall. It had small wings, which were unable to fly its 40 pound body. The dodo bird has become a well-known symbol for a recent extinct species. It is hard to say whether one particular factor caused the dodo's extinction. Dutch and Portuguese sailors visited the island in the 17th century. These birds were slow and friendly and showed little fear of people. They had a reputation for having tough meat and an acrid taste and were allegedly hardly hunted. Some people treasured trhe dodo's plumage so some birds were killed to adorn costumes. Most likely dodos became prey to the cats, dogs, pigs and macaques which arrived with the sailors. They were either killed by them or their nests and forests were so disturbed, that they were unable to propagate. The last remaining dodo's existence was confirmed in 1685, but a well-peserved skeleton was excavated in 2007, giving us much needed information about this strange, and now, sadly extinct, bird.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.