Snowy Owl Research Paper
I find the snowy owl to be quite an interesting animal. It belongs to the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Chordata, the class Aves, the order Strigiformes, the family Strigidae, the genus Nyctea, and the species Sandiaca along with boobooks, screeching owls, and earless owls.
With a height reaching up to 27 inches and a weight of 4 to 6 pounds, the snowy owl has a reputation as one of the biggest owls in the Arctic. Its wingspan can spread out anywhere from 45-60 inches. Most people are familiar with its winter coat of completely white feathers, and it is not usually distinguished by its summer coat of spotted and striped brown feathers. It is both nocturnal and diurnal, owing to the fact that its habitat, the Arctic, does not darken at night …show more content…
in the summer. Since they have incredible vision and eyesight, snowy owls are able to detect prey from very high up in the sky and swoop down silently to catch that prey.
As stated before, the snowy owl calls the Arctic its home.
It also dwells in Canada, Alaska, and sometimes the northernmost states of our country. It prefers to inhibit vast, open spaces such as the tundra, grasslands, or frozen lakes.
Snowy owls eat a number of animals, such as lemmings, hares, voles, shrews, waterfowl, and small birds. Using its amazing vision and especially sensitive hearing, it seeks the prey from up in sky and then, using its special frayed wings, it swoops silently down upon the prey and kills it with its long, curved, needlelike talons.
These animals usually reproduce during the mating season and also when there is an exceptional abundance of their favorite food, lemmings. They are usually sexually mature by the ages of 3 to 5 years. Using echoing calls and a proud display of feathers, the male attracts the female to breed. Following mating, the female usually lays about 5 to 7 round, white eggs a couple of days apart from each other. Finally, after an incubation period of 30 to 33 days, the eggs start hatching. Cute little owlettes as white as snow are welcomed into the world with care, love, and a fresh supply of yummy rodents from their two …show more content…
parents.
Out in the wild, the average life span of a snowy owl is about 15 years.
In captivity, however, they can live up to 28 years, almost double their wilderness life span. The adult snowy owl does not have any predators besides old age, since it is at the top of the food chain and the biggest bird in the Arctic. Young owlettes and eggs are in danger of being eaten by foxes and gulls, however. Because its winter environment is very snowy, one of the snowy owl’s adaptations is its dazzling white winter feathers, to help it camouflage in with its surroundings. When the snow melts in the summer, the feathers become brownish to match the trees and twigs. The feathers are also very important to the owl because of what they cover. They warm the powerful wing, which has special mechanics to allow the bird to fly quickly but silently. They also cover the feet protectively to shield the ice cold weather of Arctic winters, which can reach up to -155˚
Fahrenheit.
The snowy owl is usually a pretty isolated owl, unless it is the mating season. Then they are with their partner and babies. It interacts with other owls using a series of hoots and shrieks, much like other birds. Unlike some other birds, however, the snowy owl does not have a melodious harmony to its calls. It does not usually interact with other species, aside from its prey, and that’s only to catch it. It usually hunts during both the day and night, and it is always alert, even when asleep. It’s always on the lookout for more food!
Speaking of food, the snowy owl is a very helpful animal. It helps control the ever growing rodent population. It performs the job of killing only as many animals as is necessary for food. It never takes more than it needs, which is a good thing, because if it did, the entire snowy owl race would eventually starve and die out. It is also one of the least endangered species on the planet.
So, wasn’t that interesting? I bet you now agree with me. Snowy owls are a very nifty and swell animal!
With a height reaching up to 27 inches and a weight of 4 to 6 pounds, the snowy owl has a reputation as one of the biggest owls in the Arctic. Its wingspan can spread out anywhere from 45-60 inches. Most people are familiar with its winter coat of completely white feathers, and it is not usually distinguished by its summer coat of spotted and striped brown feathers. It is both nocturnal and diurnal, owing to the fact that its habitat, the Arctic, does not darken at night …show more content…
in the summer. Since they have incredible vision and eyesight, snowy owls are able to detect prey from very high up in the sky and swoop down silently to catch that prey.
As stated before, the snowy owl calls the Arctic its home.
It also dwells in Canada, Alaska, and sometimes the northernmost states of our country. It prefers to inhibit vast, open spaces such as the tundra, grasslands, or frozen lakes.
Snowy owls eat a number of animals, such as lemmings, hares, voles, shrews, waterfowl, and small birds. Using its amazing vision and especially sensitive hearing, it seeks the prey from up in sky and then, using its special frayed wings, it swoops silently down upon the prey and kills it with its long, curved, needlelike talons.
These animals usually reproduce during the mating season and also when there is an exceptional abundance of their favorite food, lemmings. They are usually sexually mature by the ages of 3 to 5 years. Using echoing calls and a proud display of feathers, the male attracts the female to breed. Following mating, the female usually lays about 5 to 7 round, white eggs a couple of days apart from each other. Finally, after an incubation period of 30 to 33 days, the eggs start hatching. Cute little owlettes as white as snow are welcomed into the world with care, love, and a fresh supply of yummy rodents from their two …show more content…
parents.
Out in the wild, the average life span of a snowy owl is about 15 years.
In captivity, however, they can live up to 28 years, almost double their wilderness life span. The adult snowy owl does not have any predators besides old age, since it is at the top of the food chain and the biggest bird in the Arctic. Young owlettes and eggs are in danger of being eaten by foxes and gulls, however. Because its winter environment is very snowy, one of the snowy owl’s adaptations is its dazzling white winter feathers, to help it camouflage in with its surroundings. When the snow melts in the summer, the feathers become brownish to match the trees and twigs. The feathers are also very important to the owl because of what they cover. They warm the powerful wing, which has special mechanics to allow the bird to fly quickly but silently. They also cover the feet protectively to shield the ice cold weather of Arctic winters, which can reach up to -155˚
Fahrenheit.
The snowy owl is usually a pretty isolated owl, unless it is the mating season. Then they are with their partner and babies. It interacts with other owls using a series of hoots and shrieks, much like other birds. Unlike some other birds, however, the snowy owl does not have a melodious harmony to its calls. It does not usually interact with other species, aside from its prey, and that’s only to catch it. It usually hunts during both the day and night, and it is always alert, even when asleep. It’s always on the lookout for more food!
Speaking of food, the snowy owl is a very helpful animal. It helps control the ever growing rodent population. It performs the job of killing only as many animals as is necessary for food. It never takes more than it needs, which is a good thing, because if it did, the entire snowy owl race would eventually starve and die out. It is also one of the least endangered species on the planet.
So, wasn’t that interesting? I bet you now agree with me. Snowy owls are a very nifty and swell animal!