Wildlife Wednesday – The Snowy Owl

Who doesn’t love Hedwig in the Harry Potter series?! So today for Wildlife Wednesday we are going to spotlight a raptor who makes an occasional visit to the buckeye state from the north during the winter months – the Snowy Owl.
Few birds generate as much excitement as these massive, Arctic-nesting owls. Not too many make it down to Ohio, which is nearly 2,000 miles south of the nearest nesting areas, and numbers vary from year to year. The immediate vicinity of Lake Erie is where most snowy owls are found.
Snowy owls are unusual among owls in that they are largely diurnal, or feed during daylight hours. They are primarily perch and pounce hunters; in other words, an owl will sit on a perch that offers a good view of the surrounding terrain, and fly out after potential prey.
This is the heaviest North American owl; females can weigh as much as 6 ½ pounds.

For more info on this species, download the Owls of Ohio Field Guide from our Ohio Division of Wildlife at https://ohiodnr.gov/…/Owls%20of%20Ohio%20Field%20Guide…. #WIldOhio

Information courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources