White Owls - rare and beautiful predators

White owls are representatives of the family of owls, which have a characteristic white color of plumage. It is possible to impart dark-brown spots, which form several rows of transverse lines. By the number and brightness of these marks can be judged on the age and sex of the bird: the older the individual, the less spots and, accordingly, the even white color.

The habitat in which white owls are traditionally found is represented by the territory of polar and temperate zones: the tundra of North America and Eurasia. In addition, there are also large islands in the Arctic Ocean, such as Novaya Zemlya, Greenland, Severnaya Zemlya, Wrangel Island, and the Novosibirsk Islands. You can meet this beautiful predator on both Spitsbergen and Alaska.

The white owl is a large bird with a wingspan of up to one and a half meters. Ironically, females are much larger than males both in weight and in size. In addition, a distinctive feature can be considered and that female individuals have more pestrin on feathers.

Hatching chicks have a brown color, which, as already mentioned earlier, changes with age to snow-white plumage. The beak of all birds is black and almost to the tip is covered with small hard feathers. Clawed feet are also covered with a considerable layer of plumage. In appearance it resembles wool and forms so-called "streaks".

White owls nest on the hills, with preference given to dry ground and hills. Construction can begin before the melting of snow, so the choice of location is of great importance. The nest itself is a hole in the ground where the owl-parents bring down, vegetable rags and pelts of rodents. Nevertheless, the territories protected from predators have an area of up to 6 square kilometers. Km . Traditionally, these birds adhere to the old nesting places and change it only if they are forced by conditions of existence.

In choosing a marriage partner, white owls are fickle: in some areas there are stable pairs for several years, while in another area the owls "converge" for only one year.

The average life expectancy of this bird of prey in the wild is about 9 years. Nevertheless, under artificial conditions this value can reach 30. Natural skins of polar owls are skuas, as well as foxes and arctic foxes, which pose a significant threat to laid eggs, hatched chicks and young birds.

White owls prey on mouse-like rodents, such as lemmings, as well as food, hares, small predators and birds. Do not disdain fish and carrion. Wing predators play an important role in the development of tundra ecosystems, since they are regulators of the rodent population.

White owl is found in many aspects of the culture of temperate and polar regions. For example, it is the official symbol of the Canadian province of Quebec, as well as the image of the Kayerkan emblem. Polar owl is listed in the Red Book and is listed in Appendix II of the CITES Convention. Look at the presented photos: the white owl in flight looks luxurious and majestic.