Snowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus
Photographed at Toronto Zoo, Toronto, Canada Sept 2011
One of the heaviest of North American
owls, also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great White
Owl or Harfang. The Snowy
Owl is the official bird of Quebec.
A dense layer of down, overlaid with thick
feathering, insulates the Snowy Owl’s entire body, including the legs and toes,
and enables the bird to maintain a body temperature of 38 to 40°C, even when
the air temperature reaches -50°C.
Although fast enough to capture ducks on
the wing, the Snowy Owl prefers small mammals as prey. In the Arctic, it may
eat arctic hares, ptarmigan, foxes, or seabirds when available, but lemmings
are its primary prey.
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