All about the snowy owl! By Keira Lin Ziying
Im pretty sure you’ve seen this cute bird, but did you know some interesting facts about it? Read on!
IUCN Red List place😨:
The snowy owl is currently categorised as threatened.
Scientific name and how it was made:
The snowy owls scientific name is Bubo scandiacus. The word ‘bubo’ refers to a horned owl and ‘scandiacus’ tells us that the Snowy owl origin was Scandinavian.
How do they protect themselves in the wild🦉?
The snowy owls are homeotherms, meaning they can regulate their body temperature, ensuring they can survive in the harsh cold environment. They also have a dense body and feathers to insulate them, ensuring they will not freeze. It also provides protection from prey. They also are what people know as ‘bigbacks’, but it actually helps them! They can consume up to a pound of food daily, ensuring that sufficient energy can be produced to keep them warm on cold days.
How do they catch their prey then?
These smart creatures will perch on high branches to look for prey. Once a prey is spotted with their good hearing or sight, they swoop and dive for the prey. They use their talons to hold on to their prey, ensuring they would not escape easily. This technique is also known as the ‘sit-and-wait’ strategy, smartly used by snowy owls.
Quick fun facts about the snowy owl!
1- They are the heaviest owl species in North America. As we learnt, they have to fly by cold places such as the Arctic, thus they have many feathers to keep them warming, thus making them very heavy.
2-They have A-symmetrical ears, which can help them pinpoint the exact location of their prey accurately.
3-Snowy owls have large eyes that lets in a lot of light even when it is dark, allowing them to see much clearly.
Credits to https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/snowy-owls/ (wont put under links)
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