| Snowy Owl[1] | |
|---|---|
| |
| Young Snowy Owl on the tundra at Barrow Alaska. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Inopinaves |
| Clade: | Afroaves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Subfamily: | Striginae |
| Tribe: | Bubonini |
| Genus: | Bubo |
| Species: | B. scandiacus |
| Binomial name | |
| Bubo scandiacus (Linnaeus, 1758)[1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Strix scandiaca | |
The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a member of the typical owl family Strigidae. It is a large owl, and is among one of the largest owls of the North American continent.[2]
Other names[]
Other names for the Snowy Owl include Snow Owl, Great White Owl, White Terror of the North, Ermine Owl, Ookpik and Scandinavian Nightbird.[3]
Description[]
Like the related eagle-owls, the Snowy Owl does have ear-tufts; but theirs are small and rudimentary[4].
Similar species[]
The subarctic subspecies of the Great Horned Owl is very pale and almost white, however; it has ear tufts; Western Barn Owl is whitish on underparts only and has dark eyes;[5] [6] white-phase Gyrfalcons are slimmer, with longer tail and more pointed wings.[6]
Behaviour[]
Diet[]
In Alaska, it is especially associated as the predator of mice and lemmings, its main foods.[7] The Snowy Owl also takes ptarmigans, grebes, small gulls, murres, puffins, razorbills, dovekies, ducks, young geese, coots, sandpipers, crows, and where water is unfrozen, wades in and catches, with its talons, fish and other small marine animals.[8]
Calls[]
Both sexes, particularly the males, will make low, slightly rasping, powerful hoots. They often come two at a time but may include up to six in sequence. When they are agitated, Snowy Owls will snap their bills to make a clacking sound.
Reproduction[]
Distribution/habitat[]
Nests commonly in open tundras, and spends its winters in open fields or marshes. The Snowy Owl is distributed throughout the more northern regions of North America through Canada and the United States.[2]
References[]
- ^ a b c Lepage, Denis. "Bubo scandiacus". Bird Checklists of the World. Avibase. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ a b Sibley, David Allen (2003). The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0679451218.
- ^ Lewis, Deane P. (2009-10-29). "Snowy Owl - Bubo scandiacus - Information, Pictures, Sounds". The Owl Pages. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ Lockshaw, Don (2001). "Snowy Owl Biology". Owling.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ Peterson, Roger Tory (1961). A Field Guide to Western Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 039513692X.
- ^ a b Bellrose, Frank C. and The Audubon Society (1983). The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding. National Geographic Society. ISBN 1426200722.
- ^ Maher, W.J (1970). "The pomarine jaeger as a brown lemming predator in northern Alaska" (PDF). Wilson Bull. 82: 130–57.
- ^ Terres, John K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0394466519.
External links[]
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