A small message about the white owl. Interesting facts about the polar owl. The snowy owl is reputed to be one of the best and most skilled game hunters in harsh winter conditions. In a caught bird or beast, she selects and eats out only the best pieces - eyes, brain, soft parts.

The snowy owl is also known as the "white owl" for its characteristic white plumage. This bird belongs to the owl family and is the largest representative of its kind. She lives at the North Pole and is a formidable predator. What is her lifestyle like? What does she eat and what does she look like? This will be discussed in detail below.

Description of the white owl

snowy owls are large birds. By the way, females here are always larger than males, their body size is 60-70 cm, while males reach a maximum size of 65 cm maximum. The same is true with weight: the female weighs about 3 kg, and the male - a maximum of 2.5 kg. The average wingspan is approximately 1.5 m, but to be more precise, from 140 cm to 175 cm.

The polar owl hunts completely silently, as it has a special structure of feathers with swirls, due to which its flight is almost inaudible, which is why it is dangerous for small rodents and other animals.

bird color

As befits such birds, the color of the snowy owl corresponds to its habitat, in science this is called "patronizing" color. In terms of colors, it fully corresponds to the surrounding nature and performs a protective function. Thanks to this, the snowy owl can not only deftly disguise itself and hide against defenders, but also be almost invisible to its prey during the hunt.

The color of the feathers depends on the age of the bird:

• chicks are always brown;
• adults have predominantly white plumage with brown speckles, sometimes stripes.

By the way, females have more brown spots than males. This is another distinguishing gender trait besides weight and size. And some of the males can be completely white, without any inclusions.

The pattern on the feathers of the snowy owl is unique for each individual. The outlines of brown specks are as unique as human fingerprints.

The plumage of the polar owl is also present on the paws and on the head, it almost completely hides the sharp beak of this bird.

The characteristic appearance of the snowy owl

Now we need to take a closer look on the external characteristics of this feathered. The beak of such an owl is hook-shaped, it is very sharp and covered with fine bristles. It is completely covered with feathers on the muzzle of a bird, so it is practically invisible under them.

white owl head wide and round, there are almost imperceptible small ears, which, however, does not interfere with hearing their prey even at great distances (these owls are able to pick up sound with a frequency of 2 Hz). This bird can turn its head 270 degrees, allowing it to view in three dimensions.

The eyes of this bird also round, always yellow, although the shade itself may vary. Snowy owls have very sharp eyesight, they see 4 times better than cats and 10 times better than humans. Thanks to this vision, these birds can successfully hunt even in very low light. Ornithologists conducted an experiment that brought amazing results: a snowy owl was able to find its prey, which was 350 m away from it, while there was no light in the room, only an ordinary candle was burning weakly. Here one can easily conclude that it is not difficult for this bird to hunt even in the conditions of the polar night.

The Snowy Owl sheds twice a year, shedding old plumage in early summer and late autumn. By the end of November, it is completely covered with new white feathers. Young chicks acquire their first feathers around the end of September or early October.

The lifespan of such a bird depends entirely on its habitat, for example, in the wild northern nature, it lives for about 10 years. In captivity, for example, in nurseries and zoos, snowy owls can live up to 30 years.

Habitat

This bird lives in the arctic zones of both hemispheres of the planet Earth, in addition, it can often be found in the tundra of Eurasia and North America, as well as in Greenland, on Bering Island, Novaya Zemlya, Wrangel, Kolguev and other Arctic territories. For wintering, these birds choose open areas near the zone of deciduous forests; they very rarely fly into populated areas. The entire wintering period lasts from late September to early March, and in the spring the owls return to the Arctic to breed chicks.

The snowy owl is a sedentary bird, but sometimes it can wander if the number of prey in its habitat is reduced or the thickness of the snow cover exceeds the allowable norms.

Hunting

The bird preys mainly on lemmings, which belong to rodents from the hamster family, as well as to hares, fox cubs, hedgehogs and stoats. Often, snowy owls prey on other northern birds, do not disdain seafood and sometimes even carrion.

These birds never hunt near their nests, flying away for prey over decent distances. An adult bird requires an average of 4 rodents per day.

This northern bird menacingly protects its nest within a radius of 1 km, and, by the way, that is why seagulls build their nests next to it, which feel completely safe next to owls.

The process of hunting is as follows: the bird tracks down its prey in the open area, soaring in the sky, then tracks it down and dives and grabs the prey with its sharp claws.

How snowy owls breed and nest

As mentioned above, in this species, the mating season begins in early spring, in March, when they return from wintering. Males occupy the territory they like and begin to announce it with a loud cry. D What follows is a series of actions:

These birds create permanent pairs, hatching chicks annually, but sometimes they converge for only one year. Nests are arranged on small hills and hills, but sometimes they can choose lowlands. The nest itself is a small depression, the bottom of which is covered with moss, dry grass and bird fluff.

The female lays up to 8 eggs, hatching them for 1 month, meanwhile the male himself hunts and gets food. Owlets hatch gradually, one after another, but, as a rule, the youngest often die. When all the chicks hatch, the female herself begins to fly out to hunt, while her offspring bask in the nest, tightly clinging to each other. After 50 days, they can already fly independently.

Snowy owl population

These birds represent a small population, they mainly live on Wrangel Island. Birds are of great importance for nature, as they support a stable population of northern rodents and provide security to other birds, protecting the territory from predators.

The snowy owl or snowy owl is a large beautiful bird that lives in the tundra. Females are much larger than males. The body length of the female can reach 70 cm, the wingspan is 165 cm, and the weight is 3 kg.

The male is usually smaller, its body length does not exceed 65 cm, and its weight is not more than 2.5 kg. An adult snowy owl has a beautiful snow-white outfit with small black spots. Since the owl lives in the snowy tundra, this coloring is patronizing for it, and against the backdrop of snowy landscapes, the bird becomes invisible. The paws of an owl are also covered with thick plumage, resembling long hair. The beak is painted black. The eyes are large and bright yellow.

The white owl is a silent bird, most often its voice can be heard during the breeding season. The cries that she makes are reminiscent of loud barking and croaking.

Spreading

The white owl lives in the tundra zone. This bird can be found in the tundra of Eurasia and North America, in Greenland, on islands located in the Arctic Ocean. With the onset of winter, the snowy owl can migrate to the steppe zone and to the forest-tundra, and in the spring it returns to the tundra - its usual habitat. This bird prefers spacious open places and is almost never found in forests.

Lifestyle

The white owl is a bird of prey. She prefers to hunt late in the evening or early in the morning. The owl carefully guards the territory near its nest and never hunts near it. Other birds are aware of this and often settle near the owl's nest, thus finding protection from predators for themselves and their offspring.

An owl can hunt in two ways - it catches up with its prey on the fly or sits on a hillock, looking for suitable prey, and then swiftly attacks it.

The snowy owl has few enemies - mostly foxes, arctic foxes and skuas, which are dangerous because they can climb into an owl's nest and eat eggs.

Under natural conditions, the polar owl lives for about 9 years, and in captivity, the lifespan is much longer - up to 28 years.

Nutrition

Most often, owls feed on small rodents, but they can also hunt larger prey - geese, white partridges, ducks, hares, hedgehogs, ermines. The basis of the diet of the snowy owl is lemmings - small mouse-like rodents. According to scientists, one owl eats about 1600 of these animals a year.

The bird swallows small prey whole, and breaks large prey into smaller pieces. An owl can eat carrion if there is no other prey.

reproduction

The white owl breeds chicks once a year. In early spring, owls create a pair, and already in May, the female lays eggs in the nest. A pair can be permanent for several years, or it can be created anew every year.

The nest is most often arranged on some kind of elevation. The owl's nest has a very simple design - it is a shallow hole in the ground, covered with fluff and soft plants.

An owl usually lays five to eight eggs in a nest. But when there is a lot of food, it can lay 16 eggs. The owl does not lay eggs immediately, but gradually - one at a time. The female incubates the eggs for a little over a month - from 32 to 34 days. All this time, the male takes care of her, bringing food to the nest. Owlets hatch from eggs in turn - one owlet per day. When several owlets are born, the owl begins to leave the nest, flying away to hunt. During the absence of an owl, older owlets warm the younger chicks and eggs, from which the chicks have not yet hatched. When the owls are 51-57 days old, they begin to fly.

The white owl is the symbol of the Canadian province of Quebec.

The coat of arms of the city of Norilsk depicts a white owl.

The famous fairy-tale character of Harry Potter had a snowy owl. She delivered letters to the boy from Hogwarts school and from friends.

Brief information about the snowy owl.

(Bubo scandiacus, Nyctea scandiaca in Latin), also known as the snowy owl, is a bird in the owl family. It is the largest representative of this family and the largest raptor of the Arctic Circle.

Description of the polar owl

It should be noted that female snowy owls are larger and heavier than males. The height of the body is: for males - 54-66 cm, for females - 60-70 cm. The weight of owls: male - 2.1-2.5 kilograms, females - up to 3 kilograms. The wingspan ranges from 140 to 175 centimeters.

The special structure of the feathers, which creates turbulence, allows you to make silent flights.

The color of the plumage is protective, that is, protective. This type of coloration makes the snowy owl almost invisible against the background of its natural habitat, which is a passive form of protection from predators and camouflage while hunting. The plumage of chicks is brown, in adult owls it is white with brown spots scattered throughout the body, sometimes with brown stripes, of a transverse arrangement. Females have more brown spots than males. Some of the males are completely white. The plumage pattern of each individual is unique, like human fingerprints.

Paws of snowy owls have dense shaggy plumage and large black claws. The beak is hook-shaped, black, covered with fine bristles and practically hidden under the head plumage. The head is spherical, with small inconspicuous ears. Able to rotate 270 degrees, which allows you to see in three dimensions. The small size of the ears does not prevent snowy owls from having excellent hearing. They are able to hear sounds with a frequency of 2 Hertz.

The eyes are round, various shades of yellow. Visual acuity is several tens of times higher than that of humans. A group of biologists studying snowy owls conducted a series of experiments and got stunning results. These birds of prey are able to detect prey in the weak light of a candle, at a distance of about 350 meters from it. Such excellent vision allows owls to successfully hunt during the polar night.

Polar owls molt 2 times a year - at the beginning of summer and at the end of autumn. Fully winter plumage appears by the end of November. Young growth puts on its first adult plumage at the junction of September and October.

Lives: in nature, on average 10 years, in captivity - up to 30.

Where does the snowy owl live

Biologists refer to the habitat of the snowy owl as circumpolar, that is, it includes the Arctic zones of both hemispheres. It lives in the tundra zones of the Eurasian and North American continents, on the islands of Greenland, Wrangel, Novaya Zemlya, Kolguev, Bering and other Arctic islands. Polar owls winter to the south, reaching the zone of deciduous forests during the flight. For wintering, it chooses open areas, rarely flies into settlements. They move for wintering at the end of September and stay there until the end of March. Sometimes owls stay for the winter, where they nest, preferring areas with a thin layer of ice or snow. In spring, snowy owls return to the Arctic to breed and hatch chicks.

The polar owl belongs to partially sedentary birds. Sometimes it roams, which depends on the thickness of the snow cover, the abundance of hunting grounds and other conditions.

Hunting and prey

The polar owl is an intelligent and agile hunter. The main prey are lemmings. It also preys on: pikas, hedgehogs, hares, ermines, other arctic birds, fox cubs. Often does not disdain seafood, bird eggs and carrion.

The polar owl (white owl) is included in the genus of owls, a detachment of owls. Snowy owls are also called snowy owls.

These large birds live in the polar tundra of North America and Eurasia, as well as on islands in the Arctic Ocean. These birds are found in Novaya Zemlya, Greenland and Severnaya Zemlya. They are residents of the New Siberian Islands and Wrangel Island.

Snowy owls live in Franz Josef Land, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Island. They are also regularly found on the islands of the Bering Sea and in Alaska. These birds even visit the islands of Vaigach and Kolguev. Thus, snowy owls inhabit almost the entire Arctic, even its smallest and most remote land areas.

The appearance of a snowy owl

The body of the polar owl is large. The body length of males ranges from 55-65 centimeters, and females are even larger, they grow on average up to 70 centimeters. Males weigh about 2-2.5 kilograms, females, respectively, weigh more, their weight reaches 3.2 kilograms. The wingspan averages 165 centimeters.

The white owl has a round head. The eyes are bright yellow. The ears are so small that they are invisible. The black beak is almost completely covered with plumage, only its tip is visible. The legs are hairy, and the feathers covering them are similar in appearance to wool. The claws on the legs are black.

The plumage of a snowy owl is snow-white with brownish streaks; in some individuals, the body is decorated with transverse brown stripes.

Females are darker than males. The body of the chicks is covered with snow-white fluff, which eventually becomes brown. Adults have a pure white plumage, in general, the younger the bird, the more speckled in its color.

Snowy owls molt in early July and late November. In autumn, the snowy owl puts on a winter outfit.

Owl behavior and nutrition

Snowy owls love open spaces. They avoid high vegetation, as prey is not visible in it during the hunt. These feathered predators hunt from the ground, while they settle on a hill. Having found a rodent, the owl flaps its wings heavily, pounces on the victim and clings to it with sharp claws.

White owls swallow small prey whole, and tear large prey into pieces and eat it. Feathered bones and wool burp. Snowy owls eat at least 4 rodents daily. They hunt in the evening or morning hours. Polar owls eat not only rodents, but also partridges, ducks and fish. In addition, these feathered predators eat carrion.

Snowy owls never hunt near the nest, so as not to attract predators. Seagulls use this forethought, they settle close to owl nests, because they drive away predators even a kilometer from their offspring.

In those times when there is very little food, snowy owls leave their favorite polar tundra in September-October and fly south to the steppes and forest tundra. If there is no prey there, then the birds fly even further south. They may thus be on the southern border of Canada or in central Russia. If there are enough rodents, then migration towards the equator stops.

In any case, in March-April, these birds go back to their native lands, because in May they lay eggs there and give birth to a new generation. In fertile years, rich in food, polar owls do not leave the tundra even in cold weather. They hibernate near their nests.

Reproduction and lifespan

Snowy owls breed in March-April. The females build a nest for their offspring. Nests are built in elevated places, such as hills. The female makes a depression in the ground and insulates it with leaves and down. Snowy owls lay their eggs in the second half of May. The female lays 1-2 eggs per day.

The eggs are incubated by the male. The first chick appears at the end of June. The male takes care of his food, but soon the female joins him, as every day there are more chicks. In years rich in food, snowy owls bring about 10-17 owls. In times of famine, there are half as many eggs. In dry seasons, there may be no brood at all.

The last eggs are warmed by the chicks themselves with their bodies. The chicks quickly become accustomed, begin to leave the nest and roam next to it. 1.5 months after birth, they begin to fly. At the age of 1 year, these birds reach puberty. Polar owls live on average 15-17 years, but in captivity, in good conditions, they live up to 30 years.

All owls deserve attention, today we will look at a very beautiful and interesting feathered representative of the family with white plumage. These birds prefer life in snowy areas, as they perfectly adapt to weather conditions and camouflage themselves among piled snow. Otherwise, birds are called polar owls, since it is in such climatic regions that they are common. These individuals are rightfully considered the largest representatives of birds among similar ones living in the tundra.

View features

1. The main characteristic is that birds can live for a long period of time without food. And when the need for hunting comes, owls go to get food at any time of the day, whether it be day or night. Individuals are perfectly oriented in light or twilight. In all cases, they will be able to notice the danger in time and disguise themselves. Owls are also considered predators.
2. They have very warm plumage, allowing the birds to live in cold climate regions and stay awake at night. The positive features of the attire include the fact that the bird, thanks to such plumage, spends less energy reserves. Therefore, there is no need to eat more to replenish strength. Partly because of this, owls eat little, they can stay without a meal for a long time.
3. Thanks to their plumage, birds can fly out to fish without fear of being eaten by dangerous arctic predators. Owls are perfectly camouflaged, so if predators see them, they cannot track them in a short time.

Habitat and description

1. These individuals from the entire family represented are considered the largest. They are beautiful, live in the tundra and other similar places. As a rule, females are larger than male birds. The first in the body reach 70 cm with a body weight of about 3 kg. and wingspan within 165 cm.
2. Representatives of the male gender are slightly smaller. They weigh about 2.5 kg, the wingspan varies within 65 cm, and the body of the bird grows up to 64 cm. Adult birds are white in color, they have a small amount of black blotches. Since these inhabitants live in snowy places, this coloring is the most suitable for them.
3. Thanks to this feature, the owl is always invisible. Its legs have dense plumage, which allows it to move through the snow and sit motionless on the branches for a long time. The head of individuals is round.
4. The eyes are large and rounded. The irises are yellowish brown. There are many eyelashes, so the look of the bird is very expressive. The eyes are set straight, like the whole owl family. Birds always squint, looks like they're aiming.
5. As befits this species, birds are famous for their small ears. They are slightly visible on a large and round head. The same can be said about the beak, it is almost invisible. Black, hidden in dense plumage. The paws are strong, with sharp claws, with which the bird grabs and carries prey. Sometimes in hunting, owls use their mouth.
6. If we talk about gender differences, females are slightly different from males. Female representatives of the family are endowed with a large number of black spots.
7. The young immediately after birth are covered with white plumage. Over time, it becomes brownish, and then again whitish with dark patches. Young birds are more colorful.
8. In owls living in snowy regions, molting begins in mid-summer. Then it ends, and the next time the plumage is replaced in late autumn. When the change of plumage ends in November, the bird is covered with a thick fur coat that retains heat in winter.

Lifestyle

1. These birds are common in the tundra, the entire population is concentrated in this area. In winter, owls can move to the steppes or forest areas for food. Individuals remain in open areas to have a better view. They can fly to the southern regions to change their habitat to where there is no ice.
2. When an owl starts hunting for prey, she tries to drive it. If the victim is small, then the bird immediately grabs it and swallows it whole. With regard to large production, then things are quite different. The individual in question simply drags the victim to his home and begins to tear it to shreds. After that, the bird eats.
3. It is worth noting that snowy owls make unusual intermittent sounds. They resemble croaks and barks. During the mating season, the birds become excited and emit beautiful squealing trills. Once the breeding season ends, owls become silent.
4. Often, the individuals under consideration prefer nesting sites on the tops of frozen mounds. It is in such an area that the inhabitant of the tundra can fully view his own territory. At the same time, the female observes the male's hunting.
5. An interesting fact remains that the arctic fox is an ardent opponent of owls. It is worth noting that in an open battle, birds almost always win. The problem is that young animals and eggs often suffer from such a beast. During the mating season, owls lay in nests, the bottom of which is lined with moss and grass.

1. In the wild, the considered inhabitants of the tundra live up to 10 years without any problems. If such an owl is kept in captivity, then it may well live up to 30 years. It is also not at all clear whether these individuals are listed in the Red Book.
2. The bottom line is that there are quite a lot of individuals represented. But according to experts, it is the snowy owl population that is significantly declining. Therefore, there are really few such birds left. Soon the considered inhabitants of the tundra will be included under protection.

The specimens in question are unique and very interesting. It is worth noting that their courtship period is very difficult. In addition, such birds are monogamous. Interestingly, the mother begins to incubate the eggs immediately. Therefore, young animals begin to be born in turn. In the nests you can see chicks of different sizes.

Video: polar owl on the masonry