Snowy Owl

By: Emily Smolarek and Erika Jackson

The snowy owl's Latin name is Neytea Scandiaca and some call it the Ghostly Hunter. Snowy owl's feathers are soft, their tails are short and square. Females have black and gray feathers while males are practically all white. Both males and females look like they are bundled up in white snowsuits. They can be anywhere from 21 to 27 inches long. Females are larger than males. Their claws are called talons which are covered with so many feathers they look soft, fluffy and furry. Their beaks are hooked.

The eyes of the snowy owls are in the front of their face rather than on the sides like some animals. The eyes have disks of feathers around them. They eyes are 35 to 100 times more powerful than human's eyes. Their eyes take up more room than their brains which are only thimble-sized. Owl's eyes can see a mouse that is two football fields away. They are tubes and not balls so they cannot turn their eyeballs. Instead of turning their eyes their heads can turn almost totally around. They can see things far and near at the same time. Snowy owls not only have upper and lower eyelids, but they also have a transparent eyelid called a nictitating membrane which protects their eyes even more. The membrane also keeps the eyes moist.

Male snowy owls have a large territory. When mating the male's cries can be heard up to six miles away. They breed in the barren Northern tundra. Snowy owls build their nests on small hills or mounds. The male hunts for food while the female incubates the eggs. She lays seven to ten eggs. When the food supply decreases, she will lay only two to three eggs. Ehis happens when the lemmings jump off cliffs. Every five to seven years snowy owls have to move south to either the British Isles, northern Germany, northern Japan, central Russia, southern Siberia, or central or eastern United States. If too many lemmings jump off of cliffs, the snowy owl will starve to death if they stay in the northern tundra.

It takes a month for the baby snowy owl to hatch. When the baby is ready to hatch, it will make a hole in the egg with its wgg tooth. An egg tooth is a point that sticks out of its beak. It falls off shortly after the baby gets out of the shell. It is so tiring for the baby owl to break a hole in the egg that they sometimes rest for two days before breaking out totally. When they are born they are ugly, naked and so weak it is almost impossible for them to lift their large heads. They have large bulging eyes which are shut when they are born. They are about the size of a baby chick. They eat enormous quantities of food and become stronger rapidly. The father is kept busy feeding his children. If anyone goes near the nest, they will be attacked by the own parents. The young owls rely on their parents for food and protection. They cannot fly but they can swim uning their wings as paddles. If they are cornered by a bird or an animal and the situation seems hopeless, they close their eyes, hold still, and play dead since it is a matter of life or death. They hope that their act is a convincing one. This is often called "playing possum."

The most natural threat to the snowy owl is starvation. In northern regions the adult owl has few enemies. The most serious threat to the snowy owl is man. In the northern regions of Canada and in Scotland, the snowy owl is protected by law.