Almost any youngster to the query: “What northern animals have you learnt?” amongst others, says – a snowy owl. This isn’t any coincidence as a result of the white chicken has grow to be so widespread throughout Eurasia and North America that it has grow to be one of many symbols of the north. She is even depicted on the coats of arms of some circumpolar cities.
Origin of the Species and Description
The snowy owl or as many name it, the white owl belongs to the genus of eagle owls, a household of owls of the order of owls. The chicken acquired its second identify for its white plumage, which is widespread all through the physique. In the unique classification, this species was included in a separate genus, however trendy biologists imagine that the snowy owl belongs to the genus of owls.
According to paleontological information, the frequent ancestor of all owls lived about 80 million years in the past. Certain species, together with in all probability the snowy owl, grew to become widespread 50 million years earlier than the looks of a person. One of the proofs (however not the one one) of their antiquity is the truth that they’re frequent on separated continents, and have the identical look, though the owls themselves by no means fly throughout the ocean.
The options attribute of all owls embody the truth that they don’t have eyeballs, so the eyes are extra related in construction to telescopes. The eyes can not transfer, however evolution compensated for this deficiency with the mobility of the pinnacle, which might rotate virtually a full flip across the neck (to be exact, 280 levels – 140 in every route). In addition, they’ve very eager eyesight.
Owls haven’t two, however as many as three pairs of eyelids, every of which performs its personal operate. One is required to blink, the opposite to guard the eyes whereas sleeping, the opposite is used as automobile wipers to maintain issues clear.
The Appearance and Behavior
The snowy owl could be very massive in opposition to the background of the remainder of the tundra birds. Its common wingspan is one and a half meters. The most recognized measurement reached 175 cm. It is fascinating that this is among the few species through which the females are bigger than the males. In specific, their physique size ranges from sixty to seventy centimeters, whereas the utmost measurement of the male is barely 65 centimeters. The body weight of females can also be larger – about three kilograms. Males weigh on common solely two and a half kilograms.
The plumage of the Snowy Owl could be very dense and fairly heat. Even the legs are lined with superb feathers that appear to be wool. Small feathers additionally disguise the chicken’s beak. This is because of dwelling in situations of pretty extreme chilly climate. In addition, owl feathers have a particular construction with a swirl, in order that they will fly virtually silently. Another function is that the white owl sheds with the change of seasons. It begins to shed its outdated plumage initially of summer time and the second time a yr on the finish of autumn.
The shade, as can already be understood from the second identify of the chicken, is white. It is totally in keeping with the polar owl’s habitat. Due to the truth that it merges with the snowy background, the owl stays invisible to predators and to its victims. Scientifically, such a shade, equivalent to the background, is named patronizing. There are darkish spots on the plumage. Their location is exclusive to every chicken, like fingerprints to people.
The chicken’s head is vast and rounded, with small and virtually imperceptible ears. But with its small measurement, the owl has glorious listening to and is ready to hear rodents even at nice distances. An owl is believed to have 4 occasions higher listening to than a home cat. The eyes are spherical, brilliant yellow. There aren’t any eyeballs, like different owls. Fluffy eyelashes will be changed on the eyes. The beak is black, however invisible, as it’s hidden by feathers. Owls haven’t any tooth.
Interesting truth: the pinnacle of a snowy owl could be very cell and may simply flip a minimum of 270 levels. This helps the owl lots when searching.
Where Does the Snowy Owl Live?
This chicken is a typical inhabitant of northern latitudes, furthermore, in each hemispheres. Its habitat extends within the tundra within the territories of Russia and Canada.
Individuals are discovered on the islands of the Arctic Ocean, together with:
- Novaya Zemlya;
- Svalbard;
- Wrangel Island;
- Greenland.
In truth, snowy owls inhabit your complete Arctic. Previously, birds have been additionally present in Scandinavia, which is mirrored within the Latin spelling of the identify of the chicken Nyctea scandia. But now they’re very uncommon visitors there.
The chicken is partially nomadic. That is, it has wintering and nesting websites. But some people desire to remain in nesting locations for the winter. At the identical time, they select areas that aren’t closely lined with ice or snow. Snowy owls migrate in the midst of the calendar autumn, then they return again in late March or early April. Sometimes, however very hardly ever, birds fly into areas thought of to be southern. For instance, snowy owls have been seen within the Khabarovsk Territory, Northern Japan, and the Korean Peninsula.
The owl prefers to settle primarily in open areas, typically amongst small mountain hills, because it doesn’t fly above 1000 meters above sea degree. On the opposite hand, the snowy owl tries to keep away from woodland, sticking extra to the tundra and forest-tundra. This is because of the inconvenience of searching in locations with excessive vegetation. In occasions of famine, it occurs that birds fly into villages seeking meals, however this occurs very hardly ever.
What Does a Snowy Owl Eat?
The snowy owl is a typical carnivore. She eats solely animal meals and by no means eats any vegetation. She normally eats a minimum of 4 rodents per day. An grownup can not get sufficient of a smaller quantity. In a yr, an grownup owl eats about 1600 mouse-like rodents, primarily lemmings. Owls swallow small animals entire on the spot, and earlier than consuming massive prey, take them to themselves, after which tear them aside and eat the items individually. The owl regurgitates wool and bones.
In addition to rodents, the meals for the polar owl is:
- hares;
- pikas;
- ermines and different small predators;
- child polar foxes;
- geese and small geese;
- partridges.
All different issues being equal, in summer time, the white owl prefers to feed on small rodents. It normally hunts massive (relative to its personal measurement) animals in winter. Many snowy owls have additionally been noticed consuming fish. In addition, in winter they don’t disdain carrion.
Interesting truth: The snowy owl hunts from the bottom. She settles down on excessive floor and watches. Seeing the prey, it flaps its wings sharply, then flies as much as the rodent and grabs it with its claws. But typically the snowy owl makes use of one other methodology of searching – on a low-level flight.
If the prey is initially bigger than the owl itself or their sizes are comparable, then, flying up, it bites into the prey and hangs on the sufferer till it stops resisting. Then the chicken beats the sufferer with its beak. This is how the hare hunt occurs.
Hunting normally begins at nightfall, however the white owl can’t be known as a strictly nocturnal chicken. Hunting departures can even occur within the early morning after a protracted break. Unlike different owls, the white owl shouldn’t be completely afraid of daylight.
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Lifestyle
White owls normally reside removed from people, so not everybody can see them. The chicken, like every robust predator, has its personal disposition. She could be very robust and resilient. Almost all snowy owls are solitary. They create pairs just for the breeding season, and solely at the moment they act collectively.
Owls could make sounds to speak with one another and to scare off enemies. The sounds are just like croaking, hooting, and typically squealing trills. Owls talk with one another solely through the breeding season, so they’re normally silent.
The owl spends most of its life both in a dream or monitoring down prey. An fascinating function of the polar owl is that it is ready to lead a diurnal life-style. The remainder of the owls hunt solely at night time.
Owls are primarily hunted by lemmings and different mouse-like rodents. By exterminating rodents, snowy owls strongly regulate their numbers. The advantage of that is that on this means they’re immediately concerned within the formation of the tundra ecosystem. Another essential ecological significance of owls is that they’re an element within the profitable nesting of different Tundra birds.
Interesting truth: Snowy owls by no means hunt close to their nests, whereas they fiercely defend the world round them inside a radius of a couple of kilometer. Some birds, corresponding to seagulls, know this function and particularly nest subsequent to owls to make sure that they guard their nests on the similar time.
Social Structure and Reproduction
Since polar owls are lonely, they don’t have any type of social construction of their very own. During the nesting interval, they create monogamous, however typically disposable pairs. The mating season for snowy owls falls in the midst of the calendar spring.
As an indication of courting the feminine, the male brings her meals, flies round her, flapping his wings strongly, and walks alongside, ruffled. Usually, the present is a lemming carcass. To appeal to the feminine, he can even prepare demonstration races, operating over the hills, typically buzzing a wide range of sounds.
If the feminine agrees, then the couple begins to care for the long run offspring, for which they construct a nest. The nest could be very easy. It settles on naked floor, for which the chicken pulls out a gap or a small melancholy with its claws. Additionally, the nest will be lined with dry grass, rodent skins or outdated feathers and down. Owls normally nest on dry slopes. On the islands, nests are constructed on the ledges of coastal cliffs.
Owl eggs are laid not on the similar time, however in flip. One egg a day. Although this interval will be for much longer, reaching a complete week. Therefore, chicks in the identical nest are at all times of various ages. Females hatch eggs for a complete month. Chicks hatch within the order of laying eggs. For the interval of incubation, the male takes on the accountability of foraging. But later, when there are lots of chicks, the feminine joins the hunt. Usually, the feminine stays within the nest and protects the chicks and eggs from the encroachments of predators.
Interesting truth: In well-fed years, the variety of chicks in every nest can attain 15. In unsuccessful years, roughly half the variety of eggs are laid, however there are additionally instances when the brood doesn’t seem in any respect.
Owlets are normally shortly adopted. Their eyes open on the tenth day. Usually, on the similar time, they grow to be overgrown with gray-brown fluff, which can then get replaced through the first molt. They themselves start to crawl out of the nest, and after a month and a half, they attempt to take off. They come to puberty in a yr. The whole life span of a snowy owl normally reaches from ten to fifteen years. In captivity, owls reside as much as thirty years.
Natural Enemies of Snowy Owls
Since the snowy owl appears to be like like a really massive chicken in opposition to the background of different inhabitants of the tundra, it is vitally hardly ever attacked. But, nonetheless, the white owl additionally has enemies, since its chicks stay beneath risk from predators. The hatched chicks are sometimes hunted by Arctic foxes and foxes, and typically by skuas. Arctic foxes additionally wish to climb into nests to eat owl eggs. Due to the truth that the clutches of owls and their brood endure vastly from the foxes, the foxes are thought of the principle enemy of the white owl.
Sometimes the demise of chicks is because of the aggressive conduct of the older ones. Large chicks are in a position to destroy a youthful brother, after which even eat. But cannibalism is normally very uncommon for them. Very typically, younger owlets die of starvation attributable to the truth that older chicks take away the meals introduced by their mother and father from them.
Predators hardly hunt grownup owls, but when this occurs, the owl spreads its wings vast and frightens the enemy, demonstrating false assaults. More typically, snowy owls merely fly away from predators, having heard or seen an enemy on the best way. If it occurs that an grownup owl is caught by a polar fox or one other predator unexpectedly, then it merely falls over on its again and fights off the enemy with its clawed paws.
If the enemy assaults the owl’s nest, then she tries to dam his path as a way to defend the chicks. It flaps its wings in entrance of the predator’s muzzle, periodically flies up, after which falls on it, grabbing it with its claws. Usually, such measures are enough.
Population and Status of the Species
Today, snowy owls are a uncommon species. In North America, the overall inhabitants has declined by 53% for the reason that mid-Sixties. There is motive to imagine that the image could also be related in Russia and the northern elements of Europe. What is understood for sure is that within the standard habitats, the variety of birds has noticeably decreased, and so they have grow to be much less frequent.
The species has the standing of weak, however up to now they aren’t threatened with extinction, and no extra measures have been taken to guard snowy owls. The common nesting density of those birds is about fifty pairs per hundred sq. kilometers. The world livestock numbers about 28,000, which is quite a bit. But some scientists think about these information to be extremely overestimated and counsel that the snowy owls will quickly obtain the Red Book standing.
It shouldn’t be recognized for sure what precisely brought about the decline within the variety of snowy owls. Climate change can play a task on this, because it impacts the dimensions of the meals provide. Some injury to the inhabitants is attributable to human actions. It occurs {that a} snowy owl dies in traps. Traps in lots of areas are specifically arrange by searching hunters. Owls additionally die in North America after they collide with vehicles or excessive voltage strains.
Rare Snowy Owl Appears in Central Park!
The final time the arctic owl was seen in New York in 1890.
Some New Yorkers have been fortunate sufficient to see the rarest snowy owl; She was noticed in Central Park final week and is again this week!
The owl, which is frequent within the extra northerly areas, hasn’t been seen in New York since 1890! And now she was noticed twice, one week aside. This is reported by the specialised useful resource Manhattan Bird Alert. They mentioned they noticed a chicken in entrance of the Central Park reservoir.
An account reporting town’s uncommon birds and sharing photographs and sightings (they have been the primary to announce practically each uncommon chicken in Manhattan since May 2013!) Says the owl will doubtless linger in Central Park because of the huge choice for searching – the place is teeming with geese and mice.
Though unlikely, they report that the owl might have been in Central Park all week unnoticed. “The preliminary arrival was completely unbelievable, as was the return!”
So, whereas strolling in Central Park, watch out: the predator can return to the park to hunt at any time. Suddenly you might be fortunate sufficient to see a chicken that has not arrived in New York for 130 years.
Female Snowy Owl Names
Abel, Abra, Augusta, Augustine, Ada, Alika, Alina, Alice, Alicia, Alpha, Ama, Amalia, Ariadna, Ariana, Asta, Astarta, Astena, Asya, Aphrodite, Akhta, Achcha, Achchi, Asha, Ashika, Aelika, Aelita Baccarat, Bassi, Basya, Betsy, Bijou, Brenda, Brenta, Brett, Britain, Britney, Britt, Britta, Bead, Bootsy, Beauty, Bella, Batsy Viola, Vendee, Vanessa, Wanza, Varya, Vesta, Viola, Virginia, Virginia, Vlada, Vladislava, Vladlena, Vlasta, Volta Gabby, Gaida, Gamma, Geisha, Hera, Gerda, Giselle, Gears, Gloria, Dreams, Great, Gressy Dakki, Damka, Dana, Dara, Dasha, Degira, Desi, Desira, Deniza, Deya, Jaga, Jackie, Gela, Jerry, Jessie, Jessica, Judah, Judy, Julia, Julia, Dixa, Disa, Dolari, Dolly, Dorry, Dusya, Smoke, Dera Eva, Egoza, Erika, Yerma, Eshka, Jacqueline, Jeannette, Jeanne, Zella, Jerry, Jerica, Jerry, Josephine, Jolly, Zhudi, Juzha, Zhulba, Zhulga, Zhulia, Murmur, Juliette Bully, Zara, Zarella, Zaura, Zeya, Zina, Zita, Zlata, Zora, Zuza , Zulfiya, Zura, Zurna, Zusya Ivita, Ida, Idzhi, Isabella, Isis, Isolde, Ilva, Inga, Inessa, Toffee, Irlotta, Irma, Irena, Ista Kalma, Kama, Camellia, Cameo, Kamila, Kana, Kapa, Kara , Karina, Carmen, Kasia, Katyusha, Kerry, Ketris, Ketty, Kzhela, Kisha, Klara, Button, Koki, Cora, Chris, Krystal, Christie, Crazy, Ksyusha, Kat, Katie Lavrushka, Lada, Ladi, Laima, Lally, Lamia, Lana, Lanara, Lady, Leila, Lesta, Lika, Linda, Lola, Lolita, Londa, Laura, Lawrence, Lot, Lusha, Lala Magdalene, Madeleine, Malvina, Mania, Marquis, Masha, Meggie, Mary, Miki, Milady , Mini, Mirra, Myrtha, Michelle, Monica, Murza, Maggie, Ma’am, Maris Navara, Nadira, Naira, Nani, Nancy, Neji, Nelly, Nelma, Niagara, Niveta, Nika, Nymph, Nita, Nora, Norma, Nyama Oda , Odette, Olivia, Olympia, Ollie, Olsi, Olvia, Onika, Ormella, Ornetta, Ophelia Pandora, Pani, Pa rcella, Patricia, Peggy, Penelope, Penny, Pitta, Pride, Prima, Pass, Paige, Perry Rada, Radiana, Razina, Ryda, Ralph, Rummy, Rachel, Raya, Regina, Rima, Rimma, Rita, Rozia, Roxana, Ruzana , Ruta, Reji, Radi, Russi, Sabrina, Saga, Saji, Sally, Sandra, Sunny, Santa, Sara, Sarma, Sarochka, Selena, Setta, Cindy, Signora, Siren, Snezhana, Sonnet, Susan, Suzanne Taira, Thais, Tanyusha, Tara, Thames, Tera, Terry, Tertsiya, Tessa, Timona, Tina, Tisha, Tomila, Tora, Tori, Troy, Tuma, Turandot, Terry, Tyusha Uganda, Ula, Ulana, Ulli, Ulma, Ulmar, Uma, Una , Undine, Urma, Ursa, Urta Faina, Fani, Fanny, Farina, Felika, Fairy, Flora, Franta, Francesca, Frau, Frezi, Friza, Fury Haneta, Hanni, Helma, Hemmi, Khiva, Hilda, Chloe, Juana, Hella , Harry Tsatsa, Ceza, Celli, Cerri, Cecilia, Tseya, Tsiana, Tsilda, Tsinia, Cynthia, Tsypa Chazeta, Chana, Changa, Chanita, Chara, Charina, Chauna, Chacha, Cesara, Cherkiza, Chika, Chilesta, Chilita, Chinara , Chinita, Chita, Chucha Shammi, Shani, Charlotte, Shahinya, Shane, Sheina, Shella, Shelley, Shel da, Shendy, Sherri, Shusha Ewald, Ega, Aegis, Eji, Eli, Ellada, Elba, Elsa, Elfa, Emma, Ena, Era, Erica, Earley, Esta, Esta Judita, Yuzhana, Yusefa, Yucca, Yuma, Yumara, Yuna, Junga, Yunoro, Yurga, Yurena, Yurma, Yusya, Yuta, Yutana.
Male Snowy Owl Names
Abrasha, Alex, Albert, Alf, Ara, Arik, Aristarkh, Arkashka, Arkhip, Archie, Archibald Berik, Berkut, Billy, Borka, Boris, Bush, Buyan Venya, Willy, Vinch, Vitka, Vovka Gavr, Gavryusha, Guy, Galchenok, Ganya, Garrick, Hermes, Gesha, Goblin, Gosha, Grill, Grinya, Grisha.
Cute Snowy Owls
The snowy owl is the most important chicken of the order of owls. And additionally – it is a very stunning chicken, which causes admiration and delight.
