5/16/2016 1 Comment Snowy Owls The Snowy Owl is a large predatory bird and one of the largest owls in the world. It is between 50 and 70 cm tall with a wing span between 125 and 150 cm. they weigh on average between 1.6 and 3kg making them on average the heaviest owl species. Snowy Owls are one of the most distinct owl species with the males being pure white in colour and the females having scattered black spots. The young when born are almost completely covered in black spots but as the weeks and months go by loose in and turn white. As for habitat the Snowy owl prefers cold climates and resides primarily in the open plains and tundra of Canada and Russia. They spend their summer in the far north, in the tundra where they breed and raise their young. But in the winter months they fly south kind off, in the winter they are found primarily in Canada and the northern American states as well as their Russian equivalents. No one is really sure if the snowy owl is completely nomadic or if they actually settle down during the winter months due to the extreme size of their ranges and frequent complications and difficulty’s surrounding the tracking of the animals. Snowy owls are also the only breed of owl that is diurnal or hunts in the day and at night making them even more unique. They are also one of the widest ranging bird species with one exceptional male being born in northern British Colombia, flying to the west and being spotted in Labrador, flying back east to BC then across the pacific and was spotted for the last time in Finland. The Snowy Owl and owls in general are important to Native American cultures but have different meanings and beliefs surrounding them depending on the area. In Some areas Owls are transformed witches and are feared and considered evil. In many plains communities owl feathers were worn in an attempt to gain their prowess as warriors, specifically for their night vision and for their great hunting. They are also associated with medicine in some cultures; they believe that owls are gentle to one another and wise so medicine men and women wear their feathers as a status symbol. They are also in some cases an ill omen, and are heralds for death and more specially death of a loved one. Snowy Owls are also some of the first animals recorded by man and are among the animals found in European cave paintings. In regards to conservation it’s more an issue of finding tracking and learning about them more than it is keeping them alive. The Snowy Owl is protected from hunting and trapping in both the United States as well as Canada and due to their northern habitat mankind hasn’t really had the chance to ruin and or observe them yet. However in recent year they have been exhibiting some strange and unexplained behavior. In the winter of 2013-2014 thousands of the birds migrated farther south than ever previously recorded with some being spotted as far south as Florida, this event was also seen in the 2014-2015 winter and as of now gone unexplained.
1 Comment
Anonymous
3/10/2017 12:09:51 pm
Seem likes a real Hoot to me!
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