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SNOWY OWL FACTS FOR KIDS
This page has all the best and most interesting Snowy Owl Facts for Kids you
will need. Almost everyone knows what a snowy owl looks like, if not we have
a few snowy owl pictures that will help. This large breed bird has distinctive
white features that are marked by narrow and widely spread out bars and
spots. They have golden coloured eyes that are actually small when compared
to other owls. Another distinctive feature is the presence of feathers on the
claws and toes. Their bills are dark coloured and is short and pointed.
Reproduction
Their mating season is the month of May and gestation lasts for about 32 days
in which egg gets incubated. Their clutch size depends upon the food
accessibility. When the food is in plenty, it can be as high as seven to eleven
eggs and when the food is not enough, it is usually between three to five eggs.
The female incubates the egg while it is the male’s responsibility to guard and
provide food to the female and the young chick. They do not let their young
ones leave the nest till they are 25 days old. The chicks do not know to fly till 50
days from hatching. Even after they leave the nest, they rely upon their parents
for their food for the next five weeks.
Where Do Snowy Owls Live?
Snowy owls live in North America, in the Arctic tundra region. However,
some tend to migrate to southern Canada and the northern part of the United
States. In some years, during winters, it is possible to spy snowy owls in the
northern plains, New England and New York. Lemmings determine how far
south snowy owls migrate during summer.
What Do Snowy Owls Eat?
The main diet of these owls is lemmings. One snowy owl can consume three to
five lemmings every day. However, if the number of lemmings is low, snowy
owls are known to prey on ptarmigan and waterfowl. In their wintering and
breeding grounds, these owls also can prey on small birds while they are flying,
ducks, geese, grebes, seabirds, squirrels, weasels, rabbits, wading birds, hares
and rodents.
Snowy Owl With Wings Spread
Perched Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl Flying
Snowy Owl Fun Facts
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Young owls, particularly males, tend to get whiter with age.
o
Female snowy owls are darker in colour compared to males and are not
totally white.
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Snowy owls hunt actively during both day and night and are thus called,
diurnal.
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Snowy owls mainly eat lemmings and they swallow them whole. They
will sit still till they catch their prey.
o
Snowy owls fly to other parts of the country, leaving the Arctic tundra
region in search of food when the lemming population goes down. This
is the reason why snowy owls can also be found in south, central and
northern parts of the United States.
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Snowy owls can eat as many as 1,600 lemmings every year.
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They stay warm as their feathers do not have any pigments which leave
more room for air, which just happens to be an excellent insulator.
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These owls are also protected against the cold by heavy feathers on their
toes and legs.
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During nesting season, snowy owls keep an eye out for wolves and
foxes, with the male standing guard at the nest. They go to any lengths to
distract a predator from their nest.
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Other names for the Snowy Owl are Great White Owl and Arctic Owl.
Interesting Barn Owl Facts For Kids

The barn owl is a long-legged owl together with broad wings; the facial
look is more likely to be of monkey exhibiting heart-shaped facial disc.

The length of the barn owls measure around 25 – 50 cm (9.8 – 20 inches),
along with a wingspan measuring at 75 – 110 cm (30 – 43 inches).

The weight of these owls averaging 187 – 800 grams (6.6 – 28 oz), with
owls nearer to the tropics is usually smaller.

The upper body and head of barn owl is generally pale brown while the
forehead displays a rather dark colored expression.

These owls have reddish-white undersides which are mostly
unpatterned displaying pale brown speckles.

The female barn owls are slightly larger than males as in the case of birds
of prey. The stronger females can weigh as much as 550 grams (19.4 oz)
while males are 10% lighter.

Unlike Tawny Owls, barn owls do not produce hooting sound rather it
produces shree screams which can be irritating.

Like typical owls, Barn owls are nocturnal and are seldom seen in
daylight; however, they may become active before dusk.

These owls preferably reside in the open grasslands, farmlands, and
woodlands that are no more than 2,000 meters high. Some of these
species are also found along the edges of woods.

In captivity, barn owls can live as long as 20 years or more, with
averaging 12 years.

These owls may fall victim to several predators including hawks, great
horned owls, Eurasian eagle owls, snakes, humans, and feral cats.

These birds are not threatened as they are widely distributed
worldwide. There are around 150,000 breeding pairs of barn owls across
Europe according to a survey conducted in 1995 – 1997.

The barn owls have a keen sense of hearing which is why they don’t have
to rely on their sight for hunting.

Barn owls are nocturnal but they are often seen just before dusk or at
daytime.

Barn owls fancy living in grasslands, woodlands, and open country with
an altitude of around 2,000 meters and seldom found above 3,000
meters.

Barn owls are not migratory and tend to be resident wherever they
occur. Besides, they also demonstrate absolute faithfulness to breeding
sites and use the same one year after year.
‘Cromarty’
Size: Length (65-70cm/26-28in)
wingspan (160-190cm/5ft3-5ft11)
Status: Becoming rare. Extinct in
UK since 19th century
Habitat: Mountain cliffs, ravines
and rocky forested terrain (Europe
& Russia).
Reproduction: 2-3 eggs from
February to May. 32-35 day
incubation
Diet: Rabbit, hare, game birds, fox,
young roe deer & other b of prey
Raptor facts
The largest and most ferocious owl in the world. They have a Deep two tone hoot. A wild Eagle
Owl can live for 20 years &Double in captivity. A wild eagle owl was once seen carrying a Red fox in
it’s talons!
Many large owls and eagles have enough crushing power in their feet to burst a tennis ball (even
without the sharp talons).
Because owls have such sensitive ears they have a flap of skin, which covers the ear opening when
things get too loud
Although not listed as a British species many Eagle Owls live in the wild in our country. Captive
birds have escaped or been lost. A pair bred 1 chick in 1987. How many more do we not know
about?
Eagle Owls eat a huge variety of food and even hedgehogs have been known to be on the menu!
Obviously the spiky needles are removed first otherwise that would really hurt!
Eagle Owls live for a very long time. 21 years has been recorded in the wild but 50 years+ has been
recorded in captivity!
The largest item of prey recorded being taken by an Eagle Owl is a Roe Deer weighing 13kg! An
awesome feat. Can you imagine tackling something the size of a horse for your dinner??
Eurasian eagle owl
Eurasian eagle owls are one of the biggest species of owl in the world. They are
easily identified by their large stature, prominent ear tufts and bright orange
eyes.
Eagle owls inhabit all along the North Africa and Iberian Peninsula, ranging
from Europe, Middle East while extending towards the Central Asia
embracing China and India and as far as Siberia. Sadly speaking it is rarely
found in much of its native range.
Habitat
Eagle owls encroach most of its habitats ranging from northern coniferous
forests, deserts, steppes, to the temperate woodlands. It fancy roosting and
nesting on rocky terrain and on cliff edges. Though in a limited number, they
are often sighted in grasslands, Taiga, and ravines which are dominated by
trees bushes.
Another load of facts about Tawny Owls
1. Though our most familiar and widespread owl, it is strictly nocturnal and
rarely seen during the day unless disturbed.
2. The hooting of a male tawny owl is frequently used in TV and radio
programmes and films to capture the essence of night. It is often misused in
Irish dramas: tawny owls have never occurred in Ireland.
3. Because they don’t like flying over water they are also absent from many of
our islands, including the Isles of Man and Wight, as well as the Outer
Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.
4. Source: Only the male owl utters the familiar drawn-out hoot: both males
and female also make the well-known kewick call.
5. Male tawny owls will occasionally hoot during the middle of the day.
6. It is relatively easy to imitate a tawny owl by blowing through cupped
hands. A study found that more than 90% of male owls can be duped into
responding.
7. Concern about our tawny owl population prompted the BTO to undertake a
recent survey. It revealed that numbers were stable.
8. Owls are often credit with great intelligence: this is a fallacy.
9. There are many superstitions surrounding owls. The hooting of an owl was
often thought to be an omen of death.
10. Hill hooter and screech owl are both old names for the tawny. Several
names are a reminder of its daytime roosts: wood owl, beech owl and ivy owl.
11. The pioneer bird photographer Eric Hosking lost an eye to a tawny owl
while trying to photograph it. His biography was aptly titled An eye for a bird.
12. Tawny owls are famous for the fierce defence of their young: bird ringers
usually wear crash helmets with visors to protect themselves when ringing
baby tawnies.
13. Tawnies are specially adapted for hunting in woodland, for their short
wings give them great manoeuvrability.
14. Like almost all owls, the wings of a tawny owl are completely silent.
15. Though small mammals are their favoured prey, an amazing variety of prey
has been recorded in the tawny owl’s diet, ranging from small fish and lizards
to bats and hawkmoths.
16. Among the unlikely birds noted as prey are adult mallard and kittiwake.
17. The average distance ringed tawny owls have flown between being ringed
and being recovered is 1km.
18. Adult tawnies drive their youngsters out of their territories after the
breeding season. As a result, nearly two-thirds of youngsters die in their first
year.
19. They like to nest in holes in trees, but will readily adopt nest boxes.
20. Few birds are harder to census than these, so estimates of the British
population are really only educated guesses.
21. It is thought that the British population is around 20,000 pairs.
The Tawny owl or Brown owl (Strix aluco) is a stocky,
medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across
much of Eurasia. There are eleven recognised subspecies,
and some variation in the colouring.
The nest is usually in a tree hole where it can protect its eggs
and young against potential predators. This owl
is resident through the year, and highly territorial. Many
young birds starve if they cannot find a vacant territory once
parental care ceases.
This nocturnal bird of prey hunts mainly rodents, usually by
dropping from a perch to seize its prey, which it swallows
whole; in towns its diet includes a higher proportion of birds.
Vision and hearing adaptations and silent flight aid its night
hunting. The Tawny is capable of catching smaller owls, but
is itself vulnerable to the Eagle owl or Northern
Goshawk. Red foxes are an important cause of mortality in
newly fledged young.
Although many people believe this owl has exceptional night
vision, its retina is no more sensitive than a human's. Rather,
it is its asymmetrically placed ears that are key to its hunting.
They give the Tawny owl excellent directional hearing. Like
most owls, it hunts at night. It has a rather strange, but easily
imitated, call.
Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)
What they look like: Long-eared Owls are brownish-gray, medium-sized owls
with long ear-tufts. They have orange facial disk. These brown and white birds
cryptically marked, which means they blend into the background. The male is
usually paler and smaller than female.
They are a nocturnal bird of prey like other owls [nocturnal = active at night].
Raptors have strong grasping talons for killing prey, and a hooked upper beak
for tearing meat.
Call: Song of male is an even hoot, repeated every two to four seconds. Alarm
calls vary; most common alarm call resembles barking.
Where they live: The Long-eared Owl is widespread in the North America but
it is rarely seen. The Long-eared Owl roosts and nests in trees by day and hunts
in open areas by night.
This species is uncommon in eastern Washington, nesting in cliffs and riparian
areas (in old tree nests; chiefly magpie nests). They are rare in western
Washington, with three recent sites: Drayton Harbor/Blaine, Lake Terrell
(both in Whatcom County), and along the Skagit River.
What they eat: Long-eared Owls eat small mammals, mice and voles. They also
eat small birds and reptiles.
Nesting: Long-eared Owls nest in large abandoned stick nests - often made by
crows, ravens, magpies, or hawks. Females usually lay 5-6 eggs, then incubate
the them for 26-28 days.
Behavior: The Long-eared Owl hunts mostly at night. They are sometimes
active before dusk, especially when they are feeding young. They fly low to the
ground when hunting. They locate prey by sound or sight, then swoop down
and grab it with their sharp talons.
The Long-eared Owl can catch mice in complete darkness.
Did you know?
Long-eared Owl hunts for small rodents at night.
The loud hoot of the male Long-eared Owl can sometimes be heard up to 1
kilometer (0.7 mi) away.
The Long-eared Owl has excellent vision and hearing for capturing prey.
Long-eared owl Facts
Long-eared owl is medium-sized owl that belongs to the family of true owls.
There are 4 subspecies of long-eared owl that can be found in the North
America, Europe, Africa, Asia and on the few islands in the Atlantic Ocean.
Long-eared owl inhabits densely vegetated areas and open coniferous and
deciduous forests near the grasslands. Number of long-eared owls in some
areas is declining due to habitat loss, competition for food with other species
of owl and increased nest predation. Luckily, global population of long-eared
owl is still large and stable.
Interesting Long-eared owl Facts:
Long-eared owl can reach 12 to 16 inches in length and 7.8 to 15.3 ounces of
weight. Females are larger than males.
Long-eared owl has combination of black, brown, grey, creamy and white
plumage on the back. Front side of the body is whitish-grey to yellowishbrown in color and covered with dark brown streaks and bands. Females are
darker-colored compared with males.
Long-eared owl has large, orange eyes, hooked beak, big black ear tufts on
the head, prominent reddish-brown facial disk, large, rounded wings and
strong talons. Its legs and toes are covered with feathers.
Long-eared owl is active during the night (nocturnal bird).
Long-eared owl has keen sense of hearing which facilitates detection of food.
Thanks to the ability to fly silently, it approaches the prey completely
unnoticed.
Long-eared owl hunts and eats small mammals such as mice, shrews, pocket
gophers and voles. It swallows the prey in one piece and regurgitates
undigested parts in the form of pellet usually the next day.
Long-eared owl is solitary bird. It sometimes roosts in the groups of 2 to 20
birds and produces barking noise when it is disturbed.
Natural enemies of long-eared owls are large species of owl, hawks, eagles
and foxes.
Long-eared owl spends entire year in the same area, or migrates toward the
south to the wintering grounds during the autumn.
Mating season of long-eared owls takes place between February and July.
Males emit low hooting calls that can be heard 0.7 miles away to attract
females.
Long-eared owls form monogamous couples. They use abandoned nests of
other birds or lay their eggs in the crevices of rocks. Long-eared owls
sometimes build nest on the ground.
Female lays 5 to 7 eggs that hatch after 26 to 28 days. Female is responsible
for the incubation of eggs, while male provides food during this period.
Chicks often leave the nest shortly after hatching and reside in the
surrounding vegetation until they learn to fly at the age of 35 days. They
depend on their parents for food few more weeks after fledging. Long-eared
owls reach sexual maturity at the age of one year.
Long-eared owl can survive up to 27 years in the wild.