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Mansfield 7th Grade Continues Working The Kinks Out

Sports

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7:49 am

Mansfield 7th Grade Continues Working The Kinks Out

Pictured from L to R: Kanon Fisher, Joseph Carter, Ethan Martin, and Cooper Edwards

The Mansfield 7^th Grade Tigers season has been a year of growth. After Monday night, the Tigers sit at a 3-4 overall record but not everything is seen with just a record. Where you really see the growth in the 7^th Grade Tigers is who they’ve played. One of those growth games was this past Saturday when the Tigers fell in a close 21-19 game to 4A Mena.

The Tigers hung with the Bearcats for most of the game but couldn’t seem to close in offensively. That is until the 4^th quarter came around. Going into the final quarter of the game, Mansfield was down 19-8. In a move of pure effort, the Tigers closed the gap by scoring 11 points and held Mena to only 3 points in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, time ran out for Mansfield with a 21-19 final score favoring the Bearcats. The Tigers were able to play a B Game afterward where they successfully pinned Mena for a 3-0 win.

Most teams have also been playing 7^th and 8^th Grade squads due to low numbers. Mansfield faced that situation again against Mountainburg Monday, January 18 as they lost 36-14 to the Dragons. Mountainburg jumped to an early lead with pure speed and precise 3 point shooting. Going into the half, the Tigers were down 21-7 and all seemed to be in the negative. What wasn’t negative was their push and determination to finish. Coming into the second half, the Tigers got their bearings as Mansfield hit the floor with more intensity. The Tigers were able to hit a few more open shots and defensively held the dragons to 15 fewer points than the first half. In the end though, Mountainburg prevailed.

Coach Keith Stovall and the 7th Grade Tigers

Playing without their leading scorer, Traevin Copeland, the team had to fill a void on the scoreboard. Ethan Martin was “Mr. Go To” for the Tigers scoring 7 points along with multiple offensive and defensive rebounds in the game. Joey Fildes sank a 3 from the downtown district to help light up the Tigers scoreboard. Quick moving Cooper Edwards and the elusive Joseph Carter rounded out Mansfield’s scoring by raking in 2 points apiece. To show the true depth of talent in the Tigers program, the Tigers pulled off their B Game victory for the second week in a row with a 7-2 win over the fiery Dragons. Powerhouse Kanon Fisher put up 4 points and Cooper Edwards jumped in the mix for the final 3 points in the game.

Obituary – Mary Virginia (Proffitt) Bieber (1935 – 2021)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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7:19 pm

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Obituary – Mary Virginia (Proffitt) Bieber (1935 – 2021)

Mary Virginia “Ginger” Bieber of Waldron, Arkansas went to be with her Lord and Savior, January 16, 2021 in Waldron, Arkansas. Ginger was born October 1, 1935 in Dermott, Arkansas to Joseph C. Proffitt and Mildred Marie (Blythe) Proffitt. Ginger was 85 years, 3 months, and 15 days old.

Ginger was a very social person who loved to entertain guests and friends with dinners and social gatherings. She loved to play Bunko and Bridge, and was a member of the Bridge Club. Ginger was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church. Ginger was a long time employee of the U.S. Government. She loved her family and spending time laughing and making memories.

Ginger leaves behind to cherish her memory; one daughter, Donna Bieber of Waldron, Arkansas, her cousins Margaret Hughes and family of Waldron, Arkansas, numerous other cousins in Waldron, AR, her friends in her Bridge Club, and numerous other family and friends.

Ginger was preceded in death by her husband David Bieber, her parents, Joseph & Mildred Proffitt, and one daughter Tina Bieber.

A private family memorial will be held at a later date. Arrangements and cremation are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

Sr Pirates Double Up On Double-U’s

Sports

Megan Hecox

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3:10 pm

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“Our senior high team is starting to gel and play really well together at times,” stated Coach Frank Cluck. “Senior guard, Austin Cluck, has been a leader for our team both on the court and in the locker room. He is a very skilled player with a high basketball IQ and is willing to do whatever is needed for our team to succeed. He is averaging 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game currently.”

“I would also like to mention senior guard Austin Swaim and junior guard Darryl Kattich. Both of these young men have been leading us with their defense. Each of them may be asked to defend our opponent’s best offensive player on any given night. Plus both guys are helping us on the offensive end of the court, as well. Austin Swaim is averaging 12.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game and Darryl Kattich is averaging 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.”

Recently, the Cedarville Sr Pirates picked up back to back victories. One in conference against Paris last Tuesday in which the Pirates got the upper-hand 67-39 and then again on Friday against Lifeway 61-48 where Cedarville led 56 to 32 after 3 quarters. Austin Cluck led the Pirates with 16 points along with 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Cluck, who after high school wants to go to college and learn how to be a basketball coach and math teacher, has been playing basketball since he was three years old but started playing competitively at Cedarville Elementary in the 3rd grade.

“My dad got me interested in basketball. I loved hearing stories about when he played and coached. So far this year, the best games I’ve had have been because of my teammates. Yeah, I’ve had some decent shooting games throughout the season, but when I shoot well, it’s just because my teammates create those shots for me. My favorite games so far were most recently Valley Springs and Paris. As the year has gone on, we’ve seen a lot of improvement as a team, and even in the loss against Valley Springs, that teamwork was starting to show.”

“The best thing about this year is getting to play with my friends from Cedarville Elementary School. I’ve gone to Alma since the 6th grade, and while I’ve enjoyed making friends and playing basketball there, it’s good to play again with the guys from little league. Right now we are looking forward to playing our next game. Our team doesn’t take each game for granted. We’re grateful for every opportunity to play, so we’re keeping our eyes on one game at a time.”

Also bringing in the treasure from last Friday’s big win was Dylan Cluck with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists and Darryl Kattich with 10 points and 4 rebounds. Coach Cluck added, “Austin Swaim (24 min) held Lifeway’s guard, Green, to 13 points in 3 quarters of play and Cody Dickens held shooter “Melton” to just 2 points through 3 quarters. Melton ended up with a total of 5 after hitting a 3 in the 4th. Also, Bradlee Blankenship came off the bench and secured 4 rebounds with 6 minutes of playtime.”

“Hopefully, our group is taking one game at a time because we all know that we should be grateful for each game that we are allowed to play. Covid-19 has made this year very unpredictable with cancellations and rescheduling. I think our boys look forward to each time we are allowed to compete!”

Photos courtesy of Malinda Mizell

Sr Lady Pirates Drop Anchor on Eagles and Knights

Sports

Megan Hecox

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2:46 pm

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Sr Lady Pirates Drop Anchor on Eagles and Knights

The Cedarville Sr Lady Pirates are riding a wave of success like no other. With dominating wins over programs that have been the standard for 3A basketball for years, the Lady Pirates have officially raised the bar. They continued putting that bar higher with a whirlpooling 56-44 win over Paris on Tuesday, January 12th followed by a crushing 54-34 victory over Lifeway Christian on Friday, January 15th.

The Lady Pirates may have been a massive underdog against Paris in earlier years, but that is ancient history now. Paris is still a premiere program with plenty of top talent, but Cedarville claimed an Eagle feather in their hat with a solid defensive attack that lit the fuse for their offense to send the cannons blazing. Leading the team in points was the Pirate pair of Chloe Morrow and Katie McBroom who raised ye ol jolly roger high with 15 points apiece against a stout Paris defense. Anna Hightower soared higher than the Eagles could soar for 13 points in the game. And Makayla Pearcy and Emily Wood grounded Paris with a combined 15 points (Pearcy 9, Wood 6).

With the defeat of the perineal powerhouse Lady Eagles, Cedarville turned their rutter to the new kids on the block, Lifeway Christian. The Lady Pirates didn’t take it easy on the Lady Knights either beating them 54-34. For this matchup, the Lady Pirates traded out the old school cannons and replaced them with patriot missiles. Cedarville hit not one, not two, not even three, but 14 three-point shots against the Lady Knights. That’s right, 42 of their 54 points came from downtown. MaKayla Pearcy and McKenzie Marion each had 15 points and Katie McBroom knocked down 14 points sending the Knights to bed early.

With back to back victories, the Lady Pirates improve to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Head Lady Pirate Coach, Andrew Tencleve said “Our girls are extremely motivated to win a conference championship. We have several goals as a group and winning the conference is the first one. We have to get more consistent especially within games. The way we play is going to lead to runs and dry spells but we have to work towards limiting the stretches when we are not scoring. These next two weeks are very busy with 6 conference games. They know what they have to do. We can’t afford to look ahead because of us already being one game back in the standings and our league being very very solid with several teams capable of beating anyone else on a given night.”

Cedarville Lady Pirate basketball has environmentalists on edge right now as they have the seas they sail boiling on a hot streak. Next up will be the Lady Eagles of Cossatot. The Lady Pirates are focused and not looking past anyone at this point. So bring one, bring all, these Lady Pirates are ready for a brawl.

Photos courtesy of Malinda Mizell

Sr Bulldogs Bare Down On Bearcats For Win

Sports

Resident News Network

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12:57 pm

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Sr Bulldogs Bare Down On Bearcats For Win

The Waldron Bulldogs traveled to Booneville to take on the Bearcats on Tuesday, December 12. The Bulldogs were coming off their first conference loss to Charleston on the previous Friday and looking to bounce back. And bounce back is what they did! The Bulldogs used a great defensive effort and a solid offensive effort to come home with a 58-40 win.

Gada Wagner got the scoring going for the Bulldogs who used a drive to the basket and a steal and score to start to get the Bulldogs going and take the early 4-0 lead. Braden Williams would add a 2-pt basket to give the Dogs a 6-0 lead. CJ Johnson would hit a three for the Bearcats to cut the lead in half but would be the only FG made for the Bearcats in the quarter. The Bulldogs would use a 6-0 run to end the first quarter and lead 12-3 after the first frame.

Braden Williams would get the second quarter started with a score at the basket. Mason Goers hit a jumper inside the free-throw line to make the score 14-5 but Gada Wagner came right back down and got a finger-roll to go down and then a Braden Williams lay-up would extend the Bulldogs lead to 13. Austin Hill knocked down a 3 point basket for the Bearcats after a timeout to cut the lead to 10. The Bearcats and Bulldogs would trade baskets for the remainder of the quarter and the Bulldogs would take a 28-16 lead to the half.

The Bulldogs opened up the second half with a 9-0 run to extend their lead, 37-16. Austin Hill scored a basket for the Bearcats but an Isaac “The Real” Villarreal 3-pt basket on the following possession would help extend the Dogs lead. The 19-4 run would extend the Bulldogs lead to 47-20. The Bearcats would use a 5-0 run of their own to cut into the lead and end the 3rd quarter.

The Bulldogs then took a 49-25 lead into the fourth quarter. Bryson Bailey started the scoring in the 4th with two free throws. But Goers would answer right back for the Bearcats. Jayden McConnell hit a three-point basket and then a Camdon Holcomb put back would make the score 56-29. Ethan Mayberry added two for the Bulldogs to end their scoring. The Bearcats would end the game on a 10-0 run to make the final 58-40 Waldron.

The Bulldogs were able to shoot 61% from the field and hold Booneville to 34%. The Bulldogs used 16 Bearcat turnovers to turn in 19 points. Coach Brown stated, “I’m proud of the effort and intensity our guys had Tuesday night. Ready to get back to work.”

Box Score
Waldron 12 16 21 9 –58
Booneville 3 13 9 15 –40

Waldron– Isaac Villarreal (14), Braden Williams (12), Gada Wagner (9), Jaden Hutchens (6), Bryson Bailey (6), Caden Fuller (4), Jayden McConnell (3), Ethan Mayberry (2), Camdon Holcomb (2)–58
Booneville– Austin Hill (11), #3 (7), Jacob Herrera (6), CJ Johnson (6), Mason Goers (4), Blake Jones (2), Raiden Ferguson (2), #33 (2)–4

Photo courtesy of Sandy Tull

Sr Lady Tigers Keep “The Streak” Alive In Win Over Rebels

Sports

Megan Hecox

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12:34 pm

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Sr Lady Tigers Keep “The Streak” Alive In Win Over Rebels

Pictured is Brooke Wright for the block

As the old Jerry Reed song goes “When you’re hot, you’re hot”. The Mansfield Sr Lady Tigers are beyond hot right now, they’re downright nuclear. With a 59-23 routing of the JC Westside Rebels on Friday, January 15th, the Lady Tigers have officially completed their first round of conference play without a blemish. You read that right. The Mansfield Sr Lady Tigers are 7-0, aka undefeated against conference opponents.

The Lady Rebels started out fierce, but little did they know that the Lady Tigers had found a newfound weapon that hadn’t been used most of the season. It wasn’t points because the Lady Tigers have become rich in those. And it wasn’t steals because that’s an every game ordeal. It was Rebounds. Chloe Creekmore, Makayla Strutton, and Natalie Allison all ripped down an amazing 7 rebounds each in the game. But wait, there’s more. Skylynn Harris had 5 rebounds, Brooke Wright came up with 4 rebounds, and Danielle Lillie, Seven Sanderson, and Sara Fisher had 2 rebounds each leading Mansfield’s team rebound total sitting at 36 rebounds!

Rebounds lead to points and everyone loves points. Well boy howdy did the Lady Tigers flood JC Westside with points. Mansfield struck the Lady Rebels with an average of 2.5 points for each JC Westside point. Leading the tally on the scoreboard was Makayla Strutton who smoked JC’s cannons with 21 points and 8 steals in the game. The baller on the court was Danielle Lillie who was a solid do it all. Lillie jumped the Lady Rebels with some sweet ankle-breaking footwork gathering 13 points, 5 deflections, and 5 steals.

To make things worse for JC Westside, the Lady Tigers are loaded with equal talent from starters to the bench that spread the wealth of points against opponents. The Lady Rebels were not prepared for that. Natalie Allison, Brooke Wright, and Chloe Creekmore put 6 points each up on the board while Kiara Thomas and Skylynn Harris hooped up 2 points in the match. With the game well in hand, Sara Fisher slapped the closing lid on the Lady Rebels with 3 points.

The Lady Tigers’ individual stats are great, but their team numbers were downright fantastic. When JC Westside tried to slow the pace of Mansfields speedy game, the Lady Tigers made them pay by hitting 71% of all of their free throws. In the second half of the game, Mansfield’s defense held the Lady Rebels to only 6 total points. Possibly the biggest team factor was the Lady Tigers spreading “The Rock” around with 10 assists. Defensively, Mansfield held the Lady Rebels to only 6 points in the entire second half!

With Round 1 in the books, the Lady Tigers have achieved a feat that hasn’t been done in Lady Tigers’ basketball years as they sit atop their conference at the halfway point of the season. But that’s merely a starting bonus for these girls. An undefeated overall conference record is their SMALLEST goal. A Mansfield Lady Tiger State Basketball Title is their end game.

Another round of conference play must be played first though, starting with the ever fierce #2 Acorn Lady Tigers on Tuesday, January 19th. Mansfield pounced Acorn earlier in the year at home, but this time Acorn knows what’s coming and will have home-court advantage. The Lady Tigers will have their hands full for sure, but in this new COVID era, they plan to “wash their hands” of Acorn once and for all.

Obituary – Alvin R. Hodge (1945 – 2021)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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12:26 pm

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Alvin R. Hodge of Waldron, Arkansas went to be with his Lord and Savior, Saturday, January 16, 2021 in Waldron, Arkansas surrounded by family. Alvin was born June 17, 1945 in Dallas, Texas to Earl and Winnie (Weatherford) Hodge. He was 75 years old.

Alvin was in the Air Force from 1963 until 1965, where he then worked as a laborer in Dallas, Texas. He moved to Arkansas in 1989. Alvin worked at Great Western in Waldron until he retired in 2000. Alvin was a member of the Arkansas rural volunteer fire department and a member of the Waldron Pentecostal Church of God. His hobbies were playing crossword puzzles and spending time with his favorite daughter “Baby” the pittbull. Paw loved spending time with his family.

Alvin leaves behind to cherish his memory, three sons, Dean Hodge of Russellville, Arkansas, Alvin A. Hodge and wife Lisa of Russellville, Arkansas and David Hodge of Russellville, Arkansas and two daughters, Tessie Isom and Venessa Hodge both of Waldron, Arkansas. Paw will forever remain in the hearts of his 6 grandchildren: Tylynn, Brice, Salina, Sabrina, Sean and Jordan and his 6 great grandchildren. Alvin is also suvived by 2 sisters, Nelda Borders of Mena, Arkansas and Katherine Hudspeth of Dallas, Texas as well as a special friend, Linda Lelux of Waldron, Arkansas and former son in law Matthew Isom. Alvin will be missed by all that knew him and the many whose lives he impacted including a host of extended family, many friends, coworkers and loved ones.

Alvin was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Winnie Hodge, one sister Dana Maladear and two brothers, Berkle Hodge and Kenneth Hodge and one grandson, Cameron Hodge.

Alvin’s memorial life celebration will be 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Konnor McKay officiating.

The family would like to give special thanks to Sadie Whorton, Nina Welch and Mielia Smith for taking such amazing care and treating our dad as a friend and not a patient.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Alvin R. Hodge, please visit our floral store.

Mansfield Raises Victory Flag High Above Rebels

Sports

Megan Hecox

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11:21 am

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Mansfield Raises Victory Flag High Above Rebels

Pictured is Drew Elmore going for the stuff

The Mansfield Sr Tigers have had a tough time with what could be called downright bad luck. The Tigers have lost extremely close games, been riddled with injuries, and have faced a slew of tough opponents. But with a four-leaf clover, horseshoe, and rabbit’s foot in their pockets, that all came to an end as Mansfield defeated the JC Westside Rebels for Homecoming on Friday, January 15th.

Mansfield was still short their Giants of the Rim, Bri Sanderson, Zayne Dugan, and Braxton Byers. JC Westside, like Mountainburg in the previous week, took full advantage of that shortfall in the Tigers. The lack of backboard support created frustration for the Tigers who were forced to shoot the ball from the perimeter. JC Westside was very aggressive also as they jumped on the Tigers quickly. The frustration of not being able to drive to the basket got to Mansfield’s Codi Chick, which created early foul trouble for the superstar. That led to three strikes against the Tigers, but this isn’t baseball. It’s Tiger basketball and the Tigers weren’t going to wave a white flag. Not on that night.

Stepping up to fill the gap was Clint Stovall. The usually silent slayer Stovall, caught the Rebels flat-footed as he sank 20 points in the game. Stovall didn’t score by making photographic layups or sinking mile long 3’s. He stuck with the fundamentals and whipped up all his points from 5 feet away. The prolific JoJo Bailey also stepped up in the game but not with points this time. With Chic out, Bailey took charge and spread the wealth to his teammates. Bailey had an Empire State of Mind as he went at JC like JZ with assists, rebounds, and smooth passes to his teammates for buckets. That being said, Bailey still contributed 3 points in the game.

The Rebels found a way to stay in the game though keeping the score too close for comfort. Especially on Homecoming night. Mansfield would have nothing of a Homecoming loss though. With Baily and Stovall carrying the team to the halfway point, the Tigers began to come together with a rally against the Rebels charge. Tyler Escalante turned into a Space Jam monster as he made blocked shots, stole the ball, rebounded on defense, and forced JC Westside to make poor passing decisions. Drew Elmore drew up the perfect blueprint to fix the backboard problems of the Tigers. Elmore came off the bench and scored 8 points, 6 of which were offensive rebound points. Ethan Pettus rang up 3 points while also forcing the Rebels into retreat mode with his in your face street ball defensive skills.

As good as Mansfield was doing, they just couldn’t put away the Rebels. The Rebels rang up five 3 pointers in the 4th quarter proving that they weren’t going anywhere. That’s when Codi Chick came back into the game in the 4th quarter. With JC Westside’s focus now on Stovall, Escalante, Elmore, Bailey, and Pettus, Chick teed off on the Rebels defense. It was almost like the final battle bugle sounded as Chick scored 15 of his 18 points in the 4th quarter of the game. With Chick and the rest of the Tigers on fire, Manfield pulled off a solid Homecoming victory with a 57-49 final over JC Westside.

Head Tiger Coach Keith Stovall said “Huge! Huge! Conference win last Friday night. Mountainburgs’s winning against Acorn last Friday gives everyone in the conference at least one loss as we start the 2nd round of conference play this week. So our goal of a conference championship is not impossible and at the least, we get to improve our seating heading into the district tournament. It has been a long time since we have played with our full roster but hopefully, we get that soon. Then it’s game on. Our rebounding was much improved against JC Westside. Defense was great throughout the game and is what kept us in charge. I’m very proud of these young men’s fight in the face of adversity”

There’s no time to celebrate though as Mansfield leaves the confetti on the floors and heads to Acorn on Tuesday, January 19 for one heck of a Big Cat fight. With or without a full roster, the Sr Mansfield Tigers won’t be backed down by anyone. As Coach Stovall said, “it’s game on!”

Briley Case Set to Go Before Scott County Circuit Judge

Tammy Teague

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7:13 am

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Briley Case Set to Go Before Scott County Circuit Judge

The case of a Scott County man facing first degree murder will get underway on Tuesday, January 19 in a Scott County Circuit Court.

Jared Briley was charged in March of 2020 in the death Charlene Gilley. Gilley, 19, was found dead in a rented room at the Southern Nights Motel, 1622 Rice Street in Waldron. Following an investigation by the Special Agents of the Arkansas State Police, Criminal Investigation Division, a warrant was issued for Briley’s arrest. Briley eluded officers over the next 24 hours, but was eventually apprehended on Sunday, March 22.

Briley has pled not guilty to the charge of first degree murder, and his attorney has filed a notice of intent to rely on the defense of mental disease or defect. A pre-trial hearing was held on Tuesday, January 5. The case is set on the docket for Tuesday, January 19.

Birds of Prey Fun Facts

Networks

Madison VanRavensway

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5:03 pm

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When you think of birds do you think of the kind that flock to a feeder? Or do larger birds pop into your mind? Maybe your brain goes to the Bald Eagle, a national symbol in the United States. What do you know about the Eagle, and it’s fellow raptors?

1. Bald Eagle screams in movies are actually red tailed hawks! Hollywood often uses the call of a hawk instead of the high-pitched eagle whistle.

2. Barn owls swallow their prey whole- bones, skin, and all.

3. Swainson’s hawks migrate 6,000 miles a year in a two month time period. This means they average 124 miles a day.

4. There are over 500 species of raptors/predatory birds.

5. Antarctica is the only continent without raptors, but is is home to Skuas that will eat eggs and other small or sick birds.

6. Each bird of prey has its own personality and hunting style- just like humans!

7. Kestrels are capable of seeing ultraviolet light. This capability allows them to track their prey by their urine output.

8. Most species of owls have asymmetrical ears on the sides of their heads.

9. Bald eagles are brown until they are 4-5 years old, at this time they develop their iconic white head.

10. Falcons have a sharp tooth on their beak that they use on prey.

Now you are ready to win at a birds of prey trivia night, or just feel accomplished for learning something new. Either way, knowledge is always something we can benefit from!

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