Whooo Are You?

Have you ever wanted to get face to beak with a real, live owl? Well now is your chance at our Eggstended Easter Owl Day on Sat 17th April! You can come and have a close encounter with Lady Snowball, a stunning snowy owl.  Just go to our Upcoming Events page

If you’re a fan of Harry Potter you will already be very familiar with snowy owls through Hedwig, Harry’s well-loved pet. (*CHALLENGE – What did JK Rowling write about Hedwig that ruffled the feathers of owl experts so much? Let us know on Facebook!*) Snowy owls are one of the largest owls in the world and often found in the most northerly regions of the northern hemisphere, including the tundra of the Arctic Circle itself. So, meeting one in the UK can be quite a rare treat! When you do- there are some brilliant features to look out for.

Ears
You might be forgiven for thinking snowy owls don’t have ears, because they don’t have ear tufts similar to some other owls. They do have them though and they can hear very well! Interestingly their ears are at different places on either side of their head, which helps them to locate their prey.

Eyes
Their eyes are deep yellow and quite large, helping them to hunt in low light. Snowy owls are not strictly nocturnal as they will often hunt in the twilight of dusk and dawn. This is especially true in the summer of the Arctic, where the days can be very long and the nights very short. Owls can’t move their eyes like we can, so in order to look around they must move their head. It’s not quite true that owls can turn their heads around 360 degrees, but they can still turn it an impressive 270 degrees which would be quite painful for a human to attempt!

Wings
The average wing span of an adult snowy owl is 126-145cm, which is around the height of a 10 year old child. As the name suggests, the wings and body of the snowy owl are covered in snowy white feathers. This colouring however, can vary and because of this, trying to identify the sex and age of can be quite a challenge. All adolescent snowy owls have some kind of dark patterning about their feathers, with slight variations between males and females. As males age they are said to lose this patterning, becoming whiter. By comparison, adult females tend to retain this patterning. 

Feet
Snowy owls have sharp black claws, well adapted for grabbing their preferred prey of lemmings and other small rodents. An adult might eat more than 1600 lemmings in one year! They are not fussy eaters however, and should these prey be hard to find they will hunt other larger mammals such as hares and rabbits. Their feet are covered in tufts of feathers. This helps to keep them warm, especially as these owls tend to roost on the ground. snowy owls can lay as many as 5-14 eggs per clutch depending on food supplies, and sometimes none at all if little food is available.

Numbers
Unfortunately, snowy owl numbers are decreasing and they are currently recognised as threatened, with some scientists suggesting climate change may be a factor. You could help snowy owls by adopting one through a registered conservation charity or even simply learning about them and telling other people about their story!

Our friend Lady Snowball is a beautiful example of a snowy owl and a great opportunity to learn more about this amazing species, if you come and see us for a family fun day out at our Eggstended Easter Owl Day on Sat 17th April!

Author: Mike Darkes