Illinois Animals

If you've spent any time outside during the late night or early morning hours, you've probably noticed that there's a sound that's perfect for Halloween-time: the eerie hooting of an owl or owls. Here's why Illinois' owls are making themselves heard in the month of October.

Over the next 30 days or so, you and your pets are more likely to get a blast of spray from a skunk that at any other time of the year in Illinois. Here's why Illinois' skunks are going to be out and around...and possibly kind of cranky.

Lots of different things are currently heading south, or about to take off on their fall journeys out of Illinois. You've got hummingbirds, geese, and assorted other birds taking flight south, and tens of thousands of monarch butterflies are heading out of here, too.

Is a dog, cat, hamster or fish a little too ordinary and pedestrian of a pet for you? Before you decide to add an exotic animal companion to your household, take a look at the list of animals the state of Illinois says you're not allowed to own.

Why not? This year we've already had to deal with periodical cicadas, annual cicadas, cicada killers, wasps, and yellow jackets. Within the next few weeks, it will be deer on the roadways and skunks all over the place. Here's why the skunks will be prevalent in Illinois.

Whenever you see a reference to the endangered species list it usually covers the standard suspects: gorillas, black rhinos, tigers, elephants, etc. You know, the animals that you're highly unlikely to encounter in the state of Illinois. You may not know it, but Illinois actually has endangered species of our own.

I guess I've always assumed that Illinois had more Bobcat loaders than we have actual living, breathing bobcats (think about which one you see more of)...but not surprisingly, I was wrong about that.

Seeing pigeons with bands on their legs is a unique occurrence in Illinois. Here's what to do if you find one.

You may have never, ever thought about this one, and that's okay. But, now that it's been asked, you just realized that you have never seen a baby pigeon in Illinois ever. Here's why.

My daughter Molly, a true dog-lover if ever there were one, recently told me that her ideal home would have lots and lots and lots of dogs running around. When I asked what lots and lots and lots meant, she replied "whatever the legal limit is." Since I had no idea about legal limits on dogs, I decided to check into it.