ARCTIC SNOWY OWL, LIVE WEBCAM

Local tme
Location: Ukpeagvik, Alaska
Source: Explore Birds Bats Bees
Info: Live streaming showing an arctic snowy owl nesting in Alaska. The webcam is locatd in Ukpeagvik. Outside the breeding seaon, the snowy owl can be found in areas of southern Canada, the northern United States, and parts of Asia and Europe.

More info: Unlike most owls, Snowy Owls are diurnal and will hunt at all hours during the continuous daylight of the Arctic summer. As well as Arctic hares, mice, ducks, and seabirds, their prey includes lemmings and in years when the lemming population booms they can raise double or triple the usual number of young. Snowy owls may eat more than 1,600 lemmings in a single year.

Snowy owls have thick feathers for insulation against the Arctic cold which makes them North America’s heaviest owl, typically weighing about 4 pounds—one pound heavier than a Great Horned Owl and twice the weight of a Great Gray Owl – which is North America’s tallest owl.

Snowy owls generally breed from May to June, in which time, the male performs courtship displays to attract a female. Snowy owls nest on the ground, building a scrape on top of a mound or boulder. They choose a site with good visibility, such as the top of a mound which has ready access to hunting areas and a lack of snow. They may also use gravel bars and abandoned eagle nests.

The clutch size of snowy owls ranges from 3 to 11 eggs, depending upon the amount of prey available. The eggs hatch after approximately 5 weeks and both parents care for the owlets who fledge at 7 to 8 weeks.