Snowy Owls Make Mysterious Migration

[pscot]

6. They're probably hungry

Maybe the lemmings had a bad year.

Snowy owls are generally solitary and territorial. Territory size varies with prey abundance; during years of abundant prey, as many as five pairs may hold territories within a square mile whereas pairs are much more widely spaced during years of scarcity. Snowy owls are migratory. However, migration in this species is unpredictable and likely related more to prey abundance than seasons or weather. In general, snowy owls move nomadically and breed when and where prey is abundant. Unlike most owls, snowy owls are largely diurnal, or awake, during the day


Snowy owls are carnivorous. They hunt by utilizing an elevated perch that provides them good visibility while waiting for potential prey to appear in the hunting area. Visual scanning of the hunting area is facilitated by their ability to swivel their head 270 degrees around. Their main prey is typically lemmings and mice, however, they also take rabbits, seabirds and fish opportunistically

http://alaskazoo.org/snowy-owl