20 Interesting Facts About Snowy Owls

-

  1. Snowy owl belongs to the true owl family. Its habitat includes tree-less areas like tundra and grasslands. It is also known as Arctic owl, polar owl, and white owl.
  2. The snowy owl is one of few species of owls that build nests. They build these nests on the ground. In contrast, most owl species use nests abandoned by other animals. 
  3. Blackflies can destroy the nests of snowy owls. These insects infect both the adults and eggs of these birds. (Source)
  4. Snowy owls are capable of swimming. These are one of few owl species that can swim for a long distance. (Source)
  5. The average length of toe feathers in snowy owls is 1.3 inches, the longest among owls. Comparatively, the great horned owl has the 2nd longest toe feathers with an average length of 0.5 in.
  6. Snowy owls have black markings during childhood. Male owls become pure white as they age. Females have dark spots, and they never become completely white.
  7. The snowy owl is one of the largest owl species with a large wingspan. It can grow from 20 to 28 inches and have a wingspan of 4.2 to 4.8 inches. It can weigh from 3.5 to 6.5 pounds. Females are larger and heavier than males. 
    Print of male (top) and female (bottom) snowy owls
    Female snowy owls are larger than males

  8. Great horned owls are the closest relatives of snowy owls. Unlike snowy owls, great horned owls are nocturnal and inhabit various climates. 
  9. Snowy owls have a lifespan of 10 years in the wild. However, they can live for more than 20 years in captivity.
  10. Snowy owls usually mate for life. Females lay a clutch of 3 to 11 eggs. The number of eggs depends on the availability of food.
  11. Arctic owls are migratory birds. They migrate to southern Canada and northern parts of the USA, Asia, and Europe during the winter.
  12. Unlike most other owls, the snowy owl is not nocturnal. They are crepuscular owls that are active at dawn and dusk. They can hunt during the day in the summertime. 
  13. Snowy owls can easily withstand temperatures below minus 40 Celsius. The thick skin and dense feathers insulate these owls and enables them to live in this harsh climate. 
  14. Like most of the other owl species, snowy owls are usually monogamous. But on occasions, two females can breed with a single male if food is in abundance.
  15. The favorite food of snowy owls is lemmings. An adult owl may eat over 1,600 lemmings in a year. These birds also consume other small mammals and birds like muskrats, squirrels, rabbits, mice, moles, prairie dogs, ducks, grebes, gulls, short-eared owls, etc.
  16. Adult snowy owls rarely fall prey to any animal in their range. Grey wolves, Arctic foxes, dogs, and a few other large animals can hunt juvenile owls. Both male and female owls protect their nests from these predators and other potential threats.
  17. The population of snowy owls is constantly decreasing, and was declared as vulnerable by IUCN in 2017. Climate change and illegal hunting are the major threats faced by snowy owls. (Source)
  18. Snowy owls rarely drink water. These owls usually meet their water requirement through the food they eat.
  19. Snowy owls have excellent eyesight and hearing. They use these senses to locate prey underneath snow and plants.
  20. Snowy owls can live for long periods without food, thanks to the thick layer of fat in their bodies.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

105+ Unbelievable Facts About Plants

-
Image
There are more than  300,000 species  of plants on earth. Around 90% of them are flowering plants. The  three most abundant members  of plant families are the sunflower family (24,000 species), the orchid family (20,000 species), and the legume family (18,000 species). These three families comprise around   25% of all the flowering plant species  on earth.  Plants can survive  low-level radiation . Few plants survived and grew near Chernobyl ( Ukraine ) after the nuclear disaster in 1986, thanks to the adoption of necessary changes in their inner structure. ( Source ) About 80,000 plant species are edible . But currently, only 150 species are cultivated for human and animal food. ( Source ) Tropical rainforests cover 7% of the earth’s land mass but contain nearly 50% of all known plant species. Plants in these forests are the source of 120 prescription drugs for diseases such as cancer, leukemia, heart problems, malaria, glaucoma, arthritis, etc. So far, scientists have studied the
Read more

45 Interesting Facts About Christianity

-
Image
Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with more than 2.4 billion adherents (over 33% world population). All the European countries have a Christian majority population except Kosovo, Albania , Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, and Estonia. All the countries in the Americas (North America and South America ) have a Christian majority population. The  USA , Brazil, and Mexico have the  largest Christian populations in the world. Nearly half of all Christians live in the 10 countries in various continents. ( Source ) Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the highest population of Roman Catholic Christians worldwide. The Catholic Church established the office of the  Inquisition  to stop and punish heresy in Europe and South America. This practice started in the 12 th  Century and continued for centuries. These inquisitions resulted in the execution of numerous non-Catholic Christians, Jews, and Muslims. ( Source ) Most of the Christians in
Read more

45+ Beautiful Facts About South America

-
Image
South America is the 4 th largest and 5 th most populous continent. There are 12 sovereign countries and three dependencies on this continent. Spanish is the majority language in most countries of South America (except Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana , and Surinam). Due to this factor, the continent is also called  Latin America. Bolivia (55%) and Peru (45%) are the only two South American countries with a majority of the  indigenous population . People of European descent  are the largest ethnic group in Argentina (97%), Uruguay (88%), Chile (55%), and Brazil (48%). Colombia, Peru, and Brazil have the highest number of  bird species,  with more than 1,800 species each. Ecuador, Bolivia, and Venezuela have the world’s 5 th , 6 th , and 7 th  highest bird species. ( Source ) Brazil (1,022), Colombia (771), Ecuador (626), and Peru (572) have the highest number of  amphibian species  in the world. ( Source ) Football is the most popular sport in South America. The teams of the S.
Read more