| Snowy Owl | |
|---|---|
 adult male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Bubo |
| Species: | Bubo scandiacus |
The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large owl of the typical owl family.
Description[]
This yellow-eyed, black-billed white bird is easily recognizable. It is 53-65 cm (20-26 inches) long with a 125-150 cm (50-60 in) wingspan. Also, these birds can weigh anywhere from 1.8-3 kg (3.5-6.6 lbs), with females being slightly larger than males. The adult male is virtually pure white, but females and young birds have some dark scalloping. Its thick plumage, heavily-feathered feet, and coloration render the Snowy Owl well-adapted for life north of the Arctic Circle.
Voice[]
Snowy Owl calls are varied, but the alarm call is a barking, almost quacking "krek-krek"; the female also has a softer mewling "pyee-pyee" or "prlek-prlek". They may also clap their beak in response to threats or annoyances. While called clapping, it is believed this sound may actually be a clicking of the tongue on the roof of the beak, not the beak itself.
Behaviour[]
Like all owls, this bird lives in pairs during the breeding season and alone outside of it. Unusual for a Bubo species, the Snowy Owl is primarily diurnal. It may hunt in any weather condition, using its hearing as well as its eyesight to locate its prey. It usually hunts from a post and is often seen flying low over the snow, quickly and noiselessly, before swooping down with its wings parted to soften the impact. It is also able to hover like the Kestrel does, with rapid but silent wingbeats. It may also walk on land, its thick leg feathers protecting its feet against the cold.
Feeding[]
The Snowy Owl's diet includes a wide variety of animals, mainly mammals such as rodents, hares, rabbits, marmots, but also birds such as ptarmigans, grouse, geese and ducks. Occasionally, it may also feed on fish, amphibians, insects, crustaceans, and, more rarely, carrion. Its preferred prey, however, is the lemming, which, when particularly abundant, may become the primary (and almost exclusive) source of food. The Snowy Owl may catch its prey on the ground, in flight or in water depending on the circumstances, killing it by breaking its neck with its talons. Thanks to its hearing, the owl is capable of locating and catching rodents hidden under thick layers of snow. Small animals are swallowed whole, with the owl later regurgitating pellets of undigested fur and bones. Larger animals are torn into small pieces before being eaten.
Breeding[]
The Snowy Owl is monogamous and usually pairs for life. During courtship, the male does a flight display and offers food to the female. Each pair defends a territory of 2-5 squared kilometres, chasing off intruders by assuming threatening postures and hissing. If the intruder is not intimidated, the owl may attack with its talons. Nesting, which only occurs once a year, takes place between May and September, but if lemmings are scarce the pair may choose not to breed. The nest is a rather rudimentary depression scraped in the ground by the female, preferably in an elevated location and protected by rocks. The nest is defended fearlessly against any type of animal: Snowy Owls are known to attack adult wolves who happen to wander near their nesting sites. The female may lay 3 to 11 eggs depending on the availability of food in the area, with the average clutch size being 4-6 eggs. The eggs are incubated by the female, whose white, black-spotted plumage provides perfect camouflage in the snowy and rocky environment. The male hunts for the female and later for the brood, but it's the female that feeds the chicks. The young leave the nest at about 2 weeks of life, but are not able to fly until they are around 7 weeks old, and are cared for by their parents for at least 10 more weeks.
Distribution and habitat[]
This species has a circumpolar distribution around the Arctic Circle. It is relatively common in Canada and Alaska, and is also found in Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia and Siberia. It inhabits open, snowy tundra, from forest borders to moorlands, fields, humid freshwater areas and coastal areas. Snowy Owls winter south through Canada and northernmost Eurasia, with irruptions occurring further south in some years. Between 1967 and 1975, Snowy Owls bred on the remote island of Fetlar in the Shetland Isles north of Scotland, UK. Females summered as recently as 1993, but their status in the British Isles is now that of a rare winter visitor to Shetland, the Outer Hebrides and the Cairngorms.