Facts About Snowy Owls for Kids
Snowy owls are one of their kinds with fluffy all-white weathers, glowy yellow eyes, and magnificent wingspan. Snowy owls are found in the arctic region, making them different from other owls. They generally have more weight and height as compared to normal owls. In addition, they are more attractive to look at compared to other owls.
Want to know more about snowy owls? Follow this article till the end to know less known and trivia facts about the snowy owls. So let’s get started with the article without wasting a single minute.
Here are some of the interesting and knowledgeable facts about snowy owls which you would enjoy while reading:
#1 Snowy Owls Don’t Get Cold
Snowy owls do not feel cold because of their natural body feathers. Feathers of the snowy owls are different from the feathers of other owls, making them fit to live in minus degrees of temperature. Snowy owls can fly in extremely cold weather regardless of the minus degrees. They tend to survive in cold weather where humans possibly cannot.
#2 They Nest Directly On The Ground
Snow owls situate on the tundra as their regular nesting space. They make a hole in the snow. Male snowy owls always select the location, and females always choose the nesting site. Snowy owls prefer mostly Windswept places with a view because they adore tree-less and wide-open places. In disastrous weather or extreme weather conditions, the female owl makes an alternative nest and summons their male partners. They return to their usual nesting place after the storm passes.
#3 Snowy Owl Eggs
The female snowy owl produces 11 eggs in the summer, parallel to the growing number of lemmings and wolves in the north. Scott Weidensaul, a photographer and researcher, discovered five snowy owl eggs surrounded by 78 dead lemmings and wolves amid a nest.
#4 Male Snowy Owls Are Pale
Males have dark brown stripes when they’re young that fade to white as they grow, while females have black markings throughout their lives. The whitest snow owls are invariably males and have black markings, whereas the females are pale. All-white feathers tend to be warmer than pigmented feathers because of their hollow and thermoregulating nature.
#5 What Do Snowy Owls Eat
Snowy owls are carnivorous; hence they are excellent hunters. They hunt their food in the arctic. In snowy areas, it isn’t easy to find food. Therefore, snowy Owls are often seen hunting lemmings. Snowy owls are strong enough to pounce on lemmings in the snow; hence they make them a routine food.
$6 They Are Not Night Owls
The term “night owl” comes from the nighttime owls famous for their nighttime escapades. Molds, on the other hand, are incompatible with snowy owls. Therefore, they are not precisely day or night sleepers.
Their activity varies according to the location and available sunlight. The owl’s sleep is determined by the prey available in the region because they nest in places where the sun never sets because the ability to hunt in daylight is advantageous.
#7 Snowy Owl Call And Sounds
Now let us discuss another cool fact about Snowy owls. They don’t have the same level of enthusiasm as their nighttime counterparts. At the same time, the male snow owl makes raspy sounds that can be heard up to 8 miles away from the nesting region.
#8 Their Feathers Make Them Heavy
To keep warm, snow owls have extremely heavy wings adding around 4 pounds to their weight. This extra added weight makes them the heaviest owl in North America. Generally, they have 1 pound extra weight than a great horned owl and two times more than the Great Gray Owl, the tallest owl. In addition, female snowy owls have two feet more wingspans, increasing their weight up to 6 pounds.
#9 Baby Snowy Owl
The work of the male snowy owl is to feed females and nestlings. A female snowy owl lays eggs, sits on them, and warms until the snowy baby owl comes out. As a result, baby snowy owls have fewer white-colored feathers on their body. These baby owls are not capable of hunting; therefore, they depend on their parents to feed them.
#10 They Store Their Food
Snowy owls collect prey throughout the mating season. The female owls store food brought into the nest by the males. They store it in a flower-like structure around the nest. Normally, the stock is between 10 and 15 lemmings, but scientists have discovered a total of 83 lemming corpses. In addition, the male owls capture 50 lemmings from leaflets.
#11 Why Do Snowy Owls Visit Airports
As birds are drawn to open regions, snowy owls can be frequently seen around airport wind fields, especially after the winter-day break. They perch on the tops of buildings and other objects in the airport to hunt for food. However, this risky habit is dangerous for owls because they can be injured and killed by wildlife aircraft collisions or other mishaps like a jet engine’s backwash.
An airport in Wisconsin had to devise a plan to evacuate the beautiful birds from hazardous places. Local falconers were used to capture and transporting snow owls to the right places.
#12 Snowy Owls Can Rotate Their Heads At An Angle Of 270°
Snowy owls can rotate their heads 270°. It’s due to flexibility in their head. The snowy owls’ neck flexibility allows them to see in all directions without moving their eyes.
#13 They Have Several Different Names
People call the snowy owl names such as ghost owl, arctic owl, the white terror of the north, Scandinavian night bird, Ookpik, and huge white owl. These names were inspired by their look. Bubo scandiacus is their scientific name. Nyctea scandiaca was the scientific name for the snowy owl until 2004.
#14 Snowy Owl Behavior
Now let us discuss the second last interesting fact about snowy owls. During the day, these owls are active. Yet, if you have ever seen a snowy owl in the wild, you may have observed that they appear to be at ease. It’s because snow owls love widespread plain wildlands.
#15 They Have Incredibly Keen Senses
Now the last wondering fact is that they have an excellent distant vision. Snowy owls have a keen sense of hearing that helps hunt their prey, even if they are 8 inches under the snow. In addition, they have bristly feathers on their beaks similar to whiskers to sense nearby rodents.
Conclusion
In the above article, we have discussed unknown facts about snowy owls. Unfortunately, most people are not quite aware of the above-mentioned snowy owls, so this blog article discusses how snowy owls survive in extremely cold weather and their living style. We hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to knowing more about these intelligent species.