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| http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snowy-Owl.1.jpg |
"The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organize plants and animals. The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great White Owl or Harfang. Until recently, it was regarded as the sole member of a distinct genus, as Nyctea scandiaca, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data (Olsen et al. 2002) shows that it is very closely related to the horned owls in the genus Bubo. The Snowy Owl is the official bird of Quebec."
The Snowy Owl fights occasionally with individuals from the other large owl species :
1) "The Great Horned Owl, (Bubo virginianus), also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas."
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| http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bubo_virginianus_-Reifel_Migratory_Bird_Sanctuary-8.jpg |
2) "The Great Grey Owl or Lapland Owl (Strix nebulosa) is a very large owl, distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. In some areas it is also called the Great Gray Ghost, Phantom of the north, Cinereous Owl, Spectral Owl, Lapland Owl, Spruce Owl, Bearded Owl and Sooty Owl".
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Strix_nebulosa_in_flight.jpg |
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"Though Snowy Owls have few predators, the adults are very watchful and are equipped to defend against any kind of threat towards them or their offspring. During the nesting season, the owls regularly defend their nests against arctic foxes, corvids and swift-flying jaegers; as well as dogs, gray wolves and avian predators. Males defend the nest by standing guard nearby while the female incubates the eggs and broods the young. Both sexes attack approaching predators, dive-bombing them and engaging in distraction displays to draw the predator away from a nest. They also compete directly for lemmings and other prey with several predators, including rough-legged hawks, golden eagles,peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons, jaegers, glaucous gulls, short-eared owls, great horned owls, common ravens, wolves, arctic foxes, and ermine.
Some species nesting near snowy owl nests, such as the snow goose, seem to benefit from the protection of snowy owls that drive competing predators out of the area."
"Snowy Owl calls are varied, but the alarm call is a barking, almost quacking krek-krek; the female also has a softer mewling pyee-pyee or prek-prek."
[MY NOTE: if the female gets upset by the male, then her song changes into yu-litl-prek-prek. Don't quote me on that. Just kidding! :) ]
"Hedwig is Harry Potter's Snowy Owl [...] At the start of Deathly Hallows, Hedwig is killed during Harry's escape from Privet Drive by a stray Killing Curse (in the film version, she is killed while attacking a pursuing Death Eater trying to hurt Harry). According to Rowling, Hedwig's life represents Harry's innocence.[23]
Although the character of Hedwig is female, she is played on film by male owls (female snowy owls have dark patches of plumage, while only the males are completely white, as Hedwig is)." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_creatures_in_Harry_Potter#Hedwig
[MY NOTE: does that mean that the most beautiful female (snowy owl) is a male?]
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5 comments:
Of all the birds, I think owls have the strangest, yet cutest faces!
I could look at stamps and pictures of owls all day. I am always amazed at how silent they are in flight.
My favorite is the snowy owl and stamp. That owl looks sweet and cuddly, but its looks are deceiving.
Lovely birds, and I had forgotten that the USA had a snowy owl stamp.
Love the scandin avian pun. Beautiful birds; the spectral owl has such an evocative name.
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