Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl

(Hedwig)

 That's right! Harry Potter's pet, Hedwig, is a Snowy Owl. Why are they called Snowy Owls? Well, they are Arctic birds and their feathers, or plumage, make them look like they belong on the tundra and in snowy surroundings. As National Geographic puts it, “Young owls, especially males, get whiter as they get older. Females are darker than males, with dusky spotting, and never become totally white. Some elderly males do become completely white, though many retain small flecks of dusky plumage.” Makes you wonder a bit about Hedwig, though, since some photos of her show an almost completely white owl. Was the bird acting her part a male? (After all, some Lassies were female.)

 Incidentally, other names for the Snowy Owl are Snow Owl, Arctic Owl, Great White Owl, Ghost Owl, Ermine Owl, Tundra Ghost, Ookpik, Scandinavian Nightbird, White Terror of the North, and Highland Tundra Owl, according to The Owl Pages. So where exactly does this large owl live? Well, they  nest in the Arctic tundra of the northermost stretches of Alaska, Canada and Eurasia. They winter south through Canada and northern Eurasia, going even further south in some years. Snowy Owls are attracted to open areas like coastal dunes and prairies that appear somewhat similar to tundra. They have been reported as far south as Georgia and the Gulf states in the United States, in southern Russia, and in northern China. A subspecies apparently existed in Central Europe during the last ice age, but is now extinct.

 So what is their food? Let's start with their needs – these owls are big birds. Standing, their height is between 20 and 28 inches, and their wingspan is around five feet. They can weigh anywhere from 3½ to 6½ pounds. They live in a cold environment, so Snowy Owls need a lot of food. They rely primarily on lemmings (And a single Snowy Owl may eat five or six lemmings a day, swallowing them whole) and other small rodents for food during the breeding season, but they are opportunistic hunters and prey species may vary considerably, especially in winter. They also will eat squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, prairie dogs, rats, mice, and a variety of birds. Snowy Owls are also known to eat fish and carrion. They tend to be nomadic, migrating south in the winter to follow their food.

 When and how do they hunt? Again, following National Geographic, the Snowy Owl is a patient hunter that perches and waits to identify its prey before soaring off in pursuit. Snowy owls have keen eyesight and great hearing, which can help them find prey that is invisible under thick vegetation or snowcover. The owls deftly snatch their quarry with their sharp talons. Unlike most owls who hunt only at night, Snowy Owls are diurnal, hunting both in day and at night.

 Big birds, living in the tundra or prairies – where do they nest? There are not many trees in those places. Believe it or not, the Snowy nests on the ground, building a scrape on top of a mound or boulder. They look for a site with good visibility, ready access to hunting areas, and a lack of snow. Breeding occurs in May, and depending on the amount of prey available, the clutch (The number of eggs in the nest) sizes range from 5 to 14 eggs, which are laid singly, approximately every other day over the course of several days. Hatching takes place approximately five weeks after laying, and both parents care for the pure white young. The male feeds the female during the 32 days she is sitting on the eggs.

 How long do they live? Perhaps around nine years in the wild, up to 30 in captivity. And did you know that the Snowy Owl is the official bird of the Canadian province of Quebec? Our Snowy Owl earrings and pendant display this magnificent bird in its (almost) single color.

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One of the Hedwigs used in the Harry Potter movies. You may have to copy and paste into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1bOrsYZu-8&feature=related