If you’ve ever watched a documentary or an old Hollywood movie set in the wild, not even a documentary, you’ve probably met the snowy owl, also known as the white owl. The owls we know are often intensely brown, black-eyed and nocturnal creatures. But the snowy owl; It is a diurnal creature with white fur and yellowish eyes that looks like it has come out of a fairyland.
One of the most important points that make the snowy owl species interesting is that this very sensitive creature can live in the coldest regions of the American continent, apart from its feathers. Unfortunately, like all beautiful creatures, it is on the endangered list. So a few years from now, only his photos will remain. Let’s take a closer look at the interesting information about the snowy owl, also called the white owl.
White owl, interesting information about snowy owl:
- It lives by migrating in a wide range.
- One of the heaviest owl species
- It stocks some of its prey.
- The snowy owl is not a nocturnal species.
- Hair color changes with age.
- Hunts in open ground, dives into land without fear.
- Snowy owl cubs leave the nest early.
- Their senses are extremely keen, they make a nest on the ground.
- He is monogamous, albeit in a strange way.
Migrates over a wide range:
Snowy owls breed in Alaska, North America, and Quebec and Labrador, Canada. they spend. Normally, they migrate. They are navigating an area between Canada and the Arctic Ocean, but one unsolved event occurs every four years, and snowy owls have also been seen migrating to areas as far afield as Hawaii, Texas, Florida, Bermuda, Korea, and Japan.
One of the heaviest owl species:
The snowy owl has a lot of feathers to protect it from the cold climate it lives in. These feathers weigh about 2 kilograms. It is a big load for a small creature, but considering that the snowy owl is about twice as heavy and taller than the known owls, this load will not be too heavy for him. The females are larger than the males. Female snowy owls can approach 1 meter in length and their wingspan can reach 2 meters.
It stocks some of its prey:
Snowy owls diet includes small rodents and small birds on their menu, but their main prey is a small rodent called a lemming. The lemming number determines the snowy owl population. A snowy owl can eat 1,600 lemmings a year. It is known that both males and females of snowy owls stockpile food during their breeding season. It was seen that up to 83 pieces of food were stocked. It is even known that the male snowy owl stocks up in different regions.
The snowy owl is not a nocturnal species:
It is known that all other owl species are nocturnal and hunt during dark hours. However, the snowy owl is not nocturnal, but neither is it diurnal. The snowy owl’s life depends on its prey. If the prey is suitable for hunting at night, it is nocturnal, and if the prey is suitable for daytime hunting, it is diurnal. Of course, when it will turn into prey in a predator also affects this situation.
Feather colors change with age:
Most snowy owls have white plumage. Male snowy owls have brown plumage in their youth. However, these brown hairs begin to turn white as they age and eventually turn into a pure white fur. So if you see an unpigmented snowy owl, it’s a male. Females, on the other hand, have some dark spots throughout their lives.
It hunts in open ground, diving without fear:
Other known owl species prefer to hunt in forest areas, while snowy owls prefer open areas. A large part of their habitat is already tundra. It can also hunt by jumping on the ground. It can hunt and jump fearlessly in the snow because of its claws covered with special feathers. Thanks to the insulated and padded structure of its paws, the snowy owl can step anywhere.
Snowy owl cubs leave the nest early:
When we look at bird species, we see that the young leave the nest only when they are ready to fly. Snowy owls leave the nest when they are three weeks old. However, they will not be able to fly for another month. In this case, the cubs get used to the wild, hiding among the bushes. In this process, it was also observed that they received food aid from their parents.
Extremely keen senses, they nest on the ground:
All known owl species have eerily keen senses, but the snowy owl takes it a step further. Thanks to their developed sense of sight and hearing, it has been seen that they hunt a rodent half a meter below the belly. The whisker-like feathers under their beaks have given snow owls another unique sense.
It must be because of the fearlessness gained by all these keen senses, unlike other owl species, they make their nests on the ground, not on trees. The male chooses the area and the female chooses the nesting site. The view of the nests is quite beautiful. It has also been observed that in bad weather, the cubs are called to the nest and when the weather improves, they go away again.
is monogamous, albeit in a strange way:
The snowy owl, also known as the white owl, is monogamous unlike many other creatures in nature. However, he does not live a family life as we know it. Snowy owls bond with a partner and mate by spending their breeding season together. When the cubs leave the nest, our couple also leaves and goes their separate ways. Until the next breeding season.
We got to know this endangered creature a little better by talking about interesting information you need to know about the white owl, or snowy owl, which is a powerful creature that can withstand even the harshest cold.
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