No hundred rabbits in my back yard like last year this time. Just one of these up in the tree

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Bubo&species=scandiacus



The Snowy Owl

The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organise plants and animals. The name "scandiacas" is a Latinised word referring to Scandinavia, as the Owl was first observed in the northern parts of Europe. Some other names for the Snowy Owl are Snow Owl, Arctic Owl, Great White Owl, Ghost Owl, Ermine Owl, Tundra Ghost, Ookpik, Scandinavian Nightbird, White Terror of the North, and Highland Tundra Owl. It is the official bird of Quebec.

Description: The Snowy Owl is a large, diurnal white Owl that has a rounded head, yellow eyes and black bill. The feet are heavily feathered. A distinctive white Owl, their overall plumage is variably barred or speckled with thin, black, horizontal bars or spots. Females and juveniles are more heavily marked than males - adult males may be almost pure white, although they have up to three tail bands. Adult females are distinctly barred throughout, and have from four to six tail bands. Immatures are very heavily barred throughout, and dark spotting may codominate or dominate the overall plumage. Intensity of dark spotting varies with the sex of the immatures, females being the darkest. Juveniles are uniformly brown with scattered white tips of down.

Size: Length 51-68.5 cm (20-27") average female 66cm (26" inches), male 59cm (23")
Wingspan 137-164cm (54-65")
Weight 1134-2000g (40-70oz) average female 1707g (60oz), male 1612g (57oz)

Habits: Snowy Owls are active during the daytime, from dawn to dusk. They have a direct, strong, and steady flight with deliberate, powerful downstrokes and quick upstrokes. They make short flights, close to the ground, from perch to perch, and usually perches on the ground or a low post. During hot weather, they can thermoregulate by panting and spreading their wings. Snowy Owls are very aggressive when defending their nest.

Voice: The Snowy Owl is virtually silent during nonbreeding seasons. The typical call of the male is a loud, harsh, grating bark, while the female has a similar higher pitched call. During the breeding season males have a loud, booming "hoo, hoo" given as a territorial advertisement or mating call. Females rarely hoot. Its attack call is a guttural "krufff-guh-guh-guk". When excited it may emit a loud "hooo-uh, hooo-uh, hooo-uh, wuh-wuh-wuh". Other sounds are dog-like barks, rattling cackles, shrieks, hissing, and bill-snapping.
Nestlings "cheep" up to 2 weeks of age, then hiss and squeal.

Hunting & Food: Most hunting is done in the "sit and wait" style. These Owls are highly diurnal, although they may hunt at night as well. Prey are captured on the ground, in the air, or snatched off the surface of water bodies. When taking snowshoe hares, a Snowy Owl will sink its talons into the back and backflap until the hare is exhausted. The Owl will then break its neck with its beak. Snowy Owls have been known to raid traplines for trapped animals and bait, and will learn to follow traplines regularly. They also snatch fish with their talons. Small prey up to small hares are swallowed whole, while larger prey are carried away and torn into large chunks. Small young are fed boneless and furless pieces. Large prey are carried of in the Owl's talons, with prey like lemmings being carried in the beak.

Snowy Owls are mainly dependent on lemmings and voles throughout most of their Arctic and wintering range. When these prey are scarce they are an opportunistic feeder and will take a wide range of small mammals and birds. Some mammal prey include mice, hares, muskrats, marmots, squirrels, rabbits, prairie dogs, rats, moles, and entrapped furbearers. Birds include ptarmigan, ducks, geese, shorebirds, Ring-necked Pheasants, grouse, American coots, grebes, gulls, songbirds, and Short-eared Owls. Snowy Owls will also take fish and carrion.

Some nesting Owls switch from lemmings and voles to young ptarmigan when they become available. Snowy Owls do not hunt near their nests, so other birds, such as Snow Geese, often nest nearby to take advantage of the Owls driving off predators such as foxes.

[LakeSamish706]

1. That is a beauty.... Does this owl have something to do with the missing rabbits? n/t

[NNN0LHI]

3. Yea he/she is eating the rabbits

I found one last week with no head. I thought it was coyotes until I spotted this fellow up in the tree today. Then it hit me. The wingspan is unbelievable. Like about 5 feet.

Got to keep my puddy cat in the house.

Don

[XemaSab]

2. What do you call too many owls in the yard?

:shrug:

A bubonic plague. :P

[AnneD]

5. A Hoot Nanny????

:spray:

[Believing Is Art]

7. IBORLYOM

In before O RLY owl macro.

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. Well, a group of owls is a parliament

A group of owls growing fat by eating cute, harmless critters.... a Congress? :shrug:

[AnneD]

4. Maybe we can interest him in some plump juicy

pigeons or grackles for variety.

[pnwmom]

9. I wish they'd eat some of our crows. n/t

[panader0]

6. There are a few of those around here.

There is a large cattle pond adjacent to my property, and the birds include ducks, cormorants, and occasional egrets. Lots of red-tail hawks and marsh hawks. But lately the javelina have been bold, coming right up under my living room window to eat the bird feed and drink their water. The snowy owls get huge.