Snowy Owls By Kate Grade 4 Characteristics Habitat Life Cycle Food Babies Enemies & Defense Where I Got My Information

Characteristics The size of a snowy owl are about the same size as a great horned owl. But they are different because they hunt in the day and they have different colored wings depending on the seasons. For example in the summer the snowy owl has dark brown spots and stripes and can hunt there food carefully by blending in to the artic colors. In the winter snowy owls are completely white so they can hunt without being seen. The females are much larger and heavier than the males. Adult males are almost pure white but the females are darker their white feathers are dark brown.

Habitat The snowy owl can be found only in the artic on the tundra or wide open grass plains and rarely wonder out in to the forests snowy owls can be found in marshes. Also building nests in citys and towns. Some can be located on high steep hills or cliffs. Snowy owls are most often found on the wind swept tundra and also live more southern than northern.

LIFE CYCLE Snowy Owls can live at least 9½ years in the wild and 35 years in captivity Its life cycle is intimately dependent on the abundance of lemmings which form an important part of its food supply. In years when food is plentiful, the snowy owl reproduces; in years of scarcity, nesting does not take place and the birds move to the south. These cycles occur every four or five years.

Food Snowy owls food supply depends on lemmings. In the breeding season of the swans snowy owls must be quick to steel and egg from a swan. ! Snowy Owls do not fly south in the winter, but will stay. They also snatch fish with their talons. Small prey up to small hares are swallowed whole, while larger prey are carried away and torn into large chunks. Small young are fed boneless and furless pieces. Large prey are carried of in the Owl's talons, with prey like lemmings being carried in the beak. Snowy Owls are mainly dependent on lemmings and voles throughout most of their Arctic and wintering range. When these prey are scarce they are an opportunistic feeder and will take a wide range of small mammals and birds.

Babies Snow Owls breed on the tundra and are very good at hiding their nests and eggs. The nest is made of dried tundra plants and the eggs look very much like the surface of the tundra. When parents come to incubate the eggs or feed the chicks they will move slowly and During the breeding season males have a loud, booming "hoo, hoo" given as a territorial advertisement or mating call. Females rarely hoot. Its attack call is a guttural "krufff-guh-guh-guk". When excited it may emit a loud "hooo-uh, hooo-uh, hooo-uh, wuh-wuh-wuh". Other sounds are dog-like barks, rattling cackles, shrieks, hissing, and bill- snapping. Nestlings "cheep" up to 2 weeks of age, then hiss and squeal.

ENEMIES AND DEFENSE Snowy owls have very few predators. But if eggs are left unattended they could be stolen by a jaegers or swift flying foxes. Also by artic foxes. However the adults are ready to defend against these threats. But their biggest threat is humans even though it would slow down the number of snowy owls population by eggs being stolen.

Where I got my information ca. fap.cfm?ID_species=45&lang=e