FEATHERY FRIDAY# 19
Well, who has enjoyed our trip to the Arctic this week? We sure have had fun! We have one more special arctic animal for today’s Feathery Friday and this bird is a beauty covered in all white! Let’s put on our parkas and meet…
MEET THE SNOWY OWL!
Range/Habitat: Arctic Circle/ tundra-open land
Diet: Carnivore: lemmings, rabbits, waterfowl
Length/Weight: 22- 28”/ 2 ¼-5 ½ lbs
Conservation Status: Common
Fun Facts:
- Snowy owls are covered in long white feathers. The feathers cover every part of them including their feet and beak.
- They are most active at dusk and dawn, but are diurnal (active during the day) during the summer when there is little darkness.
- Females are larger than males and have molted or spotted brown colors on their feathers. This helps them blend in with the ground.
- Snowy owls nest on the ground.
- They have excellent hearing and eyesight.
- Snowy owls mate for life and both the male and female take care of the chicks.
- Snowy owls are ambush predators!
You may recognize the snowy owl from Harry Potter; he had one that delivered his mail. We need an owl to deliver our mail. In all seriousness, snowy owls are really neat birds! They have fabulous thick coats of feathers to keep them warm and large appetites. One owl can eat up to 5 lemmings in a day! Yum!
Here’s a snowy owl call:
