ROE

(Capreolus capreolus)
The roe is the smallest of the Deer: the height at the shoulder is about 55-80 cm. Its habitat prefer dense undergrowth and bushes interspersed with clearings, but it can also go in the lowland (even the one cultivated), provided that the shelter of the bush is near.
You can see the animal in our lands thanks to the recent and slow recolonization of the woods of the Po Valley.
The coat is woolly and opaque in winter, while in summer it darkens and becomes shiny tending to reddish.
The roe is a selective browser: particularly fond of berries, elderberry, hawthorn and hornbeam, all rich in nutrients and easy to digest. In the males grow in the spring horns of moderate size, that fall in autumn.
They live mostly solitary, while females often live in herds under the ten exemplars.

BOAR

(Sus scrofa)
Like all swine, is extremely durable and adaptable to many different habitats. All that is need is the vegetation cover, and near a watercourse and, of course: food resources.
The wild boar is omnivorous: in particular, should be fond of acorns, berries, fruits and chestnuts. With the muzzle and hooves, dig burrows in which it usually rests during the day and then go out at dusk.
It is a social animal: females with the babies live in groups that can reach more than twenty specimens. The younger males gam in small bands, while the elders lead a solitary life.
For his strength, and especially for his bravery in combat, the figure of the boar has always been very feared and respected: for the Greeks symbolized darkness and death; for a Celtic deity of the forest, and in Indian mythology was a representation of Vishnu. In Persia, the boar was attributed to the most valiant in battle. For the same reason this animal is often used in heraldry.

PEREGRINE FALCON

(Falco peregrinus)
Famous for the remarkable speed that can reach in stoop during hunting ((even above 320 km/h). The peregrine falcon can be easily distinguished from the buzzard for his more agile and compact body and for its style of flight: a wing beat fast and vigorous.
Generally, found the appropriate partner: peregrine falcons remain together for all life. Steep cliffs are sought as an ideal place for nesting and the brood expect usually 3 or 4 eggs.
The peregrine falcon can live up to twenty years.

BEE-EATER

(Merops apiaster)
Unmistakable in appearance the Bee belongs to the family of Meropidi: one of the most colorful in the world. Since 1993, several pairs nest each year in Oriolo.
At the end of the summer these beautiful birds start to winter to the tropics, but the in the following spring the lure of the birthplace regularly conduce them to return to Cava Salita to set up home and reproduce: only one brood a year in early June. Both the male and the female take care of the eggs that are incubated for about 20 days.
From the spots of vegetation, bee-eaters cross the glades, the open countryside, and often the banks of rivers.
Often makes beautiful evolutions or sails elegantly with gliding flight while hunting. It feeds on insects, often caught on the fly, especially wasps and bees (in the Anglo-Saxon language is called bee-eater), and it is highly gregarious.

PORCUPINE

(Hystrix cristata)
Is the biggest mammal rodent in Europe.
Naturally quiet, when it feels threatened halyard mane and the spines of the back, thereby vibrating the caudal rattle: at this stage, sometimes, some stings can break off, fueling the widespread popular belief that Porcupines shoot quills against the enemy.
It is a very shy and nocturnal animal that loves the lonely places sheltered by woods and bushes, where the hills are interspersed with cultivated fields, dense spots and deep ravines.
It is a very shy and nocturnal animal that loves the lonely places sheltered by woods and bushes, where the hills are interspersed with cultivated fields, dense spots and deep ravines.
These animals usually find refuge in some natural cavity, or in abandoned burrows of other mammals. Otherwise, they usually dig their burrows in the thick of a forest and with different access strictly hidden.
They tend to live in smaller groups and are primarily herbivores: they feed mainly on tubers and bulbs, obtained by digging in the ground with the strong legs; however, they don’t despise crunch even soft bark and fallen fruit on the ground. In particular, the porcupine is greedy of grapes: she makes bellyfuls of fallen grapes and from the lowest sucks directly the berries without removing the stalk from the plant.

HARE

(Lepus europaeus)
Thanks to the agile physique and the long, powerful hinds legs: the hare is a champion not only in speed, but also in endurance. His jumps, when touch the maximum speed (more than 80 km/h), can be long also four meters.
Animal by crepuscular and nocturnal habits, the hare is covered of a soft, thick and woolly fur, of a gray fawn in the upper parts and lighter on the belly.
Despite attending different ecosystems: undergrowth, river shores, meadows, and even forage crops, the hare is a shy animal with highly developed senses that make him extremely cautious to the surrounding environment.
Unexpectedly, the hare doesn’t dig deep burrows like rabbits, but he avail his perfectly mimetic coat to crouch in natural crevices or in superficial holes in the ground. For don’t live trace to predators the hare jump in his lair from the greatest possible distance. It feeds on grasses, roots and vegetables in season.

BUR

(Erinaceus europaeus)
Commonly called hedgehog: even if in reality this term is a denomination of the hedgehog. He lives in the bush and in the woods, and can also be found in fields, meadows and gardens.

During the day, the bur rests in his hidden lair, usually obtained from a cavity of the ground placed in the undergrowth, between the trunks and fallen leaves. In fact, not so much for defense needs, but to have more possibilities to find his prays, the bur is a an animal from mainly crepuscular and nocturnal habits.
It feeds mostly on invertebrates, but also eggs, small birds and mice, but in case of need the bur eat without problems even berries, acorns, fruits. In the case you should want to accommodate this animal in the garden, is useful know that is fond of dry food for cats, but beware of the milk: for he is lethal.
The widespread belief that bur battle the vipers is rarely founded even if is true that the thick armor of spines protects the hedgehog from poison. The biggest threats to bur are essentially two: the fox with his cunning and the man with his car. Unfortunately, in fact, the defense technique to remain motionless and balled often leads the curls to die on the roads.
This animal has solitary and unsociable habits; a superfine hearing and smell balance the not developed view.  

SQUIRREL

(Sciurus vulgaris)
The cutest European rodent: is red with the lighter fur in the chest; has diurnal habits and spends the night in cavities of trees.

Solitary inhabitant of the woods, is a great climber and jumper: he can be observed chip from a tree to another even to also on the borders of cultivated fields and home gardens.
In the summer season worries to stock up for the lethargy lavishing looking for acorns, buds, mushrooms and fruits, which stores in well hidden cupboards. Too well hidden: often the squirrel forget it, collaborating to the dissemination of plants.

RATE

(Meles meles)
The rate is a mammal of the family of Mustelidae. Is a habitual and nocturnal animal: his main activity is to construct intricate burrows. This borrows, dig deeply in the underground of the forest, are usually equipped with two or three accesses and articulate in numerous galleries that are bats frequently and extended from generation to generation. Rates are social: usually coexist and it happens that a part of the burrow is ceded to exemplars of fox.

Omnivore, the rate eats everything: roots, tubers, worms, snails and small snakes including vipers, whose poison is immune. Especially in winter, he doesn’t hesitates to encroach into chicken coops and rabbit hutches.
Can live up to 20 years.

FOX

(Vulpes vulpes)
He has great abilities of adaptation and is extremely territorial. To ensure the care and breeding of puppies, the pair (which reforms every year during the summer) stays together until the following spring. The male, who cares to provide food and defend the pups from potential predators, brands the territory in a systematic way through scent glands placed near the tail.

The communication in this species is highly developed: olfactive appetizers, sonants and visuals are used to send messages and indicate hierarchies and affiliations. Because of their famous cunning, since always foxes have an adversarial relationship with the man: on one side are considered very useful in agriculture because they prey on rodents harmful, but on the other hand are hunted for their ability to plunder the chicken coops.