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Snowy Owls seen in large numbers, outside their natural habitat.

Snowy Owls seen in large numbers, outside their natural habitat. Snowy Owl Interesting Facts. Snowy owls are diurnal; meaning they are active during the day.

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Snowy Owls seen in large numbers, outside their natural habitat.

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  1. Snowy Owls seen in large numbers,outside their natural habitat.

  2. Snowy Owl Interesting Facts • Snowy owls are diurnal; meaning they are active during the day. • 90% of their diet consists of lemmings, a small rodent. A normal diet consists of 3-5 lemmings per day, per owl. They catch thousands of lemmings during breeding season. • Owlets leave nest at eight to nine weeks old. • Males can become stark white, while females have more brown flecks in their plumage. • Can fly up to a speed of 70mph. • Can live for 10 – 15 years in the wild; longer in captivity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufkcx-UqljMhttp://

  3. What is their natural habitat?Where have they been spotted?

  4. Sightings from eBird- Cornell University and Audubon Societyhttp://ebird.org/content/ebird/images/snowyowl

  5. States Where Snowy Owls have been seen in large numbers: • Kansas: 90 • Missouri: 40 • Washington state: 10-13 • South Dakota: 30 • Vancouver, British Columbia: 30 • Boston: 21 • **Hawaii: 1**

  6. What are the possible reasons as to why snowy owls are flying outside their natural habitat? • Lemmings, their primary source of food, may have diminished in number in the Arctic, causing young owls to fly south in search of food. • It is common for them to fly south every three or four years in what is referred to as an irruption. • Snowy owls have had an exceptionally good breeding year, producing up to 7 fledglings per single nest.

  7. Are Snowy Owls Malnourished? • According to Denver Holt, director of Owl Research Institute in Charlo, Montana, the snowy owls are not starving to death and are in good physical condition. • According to Mark Robbins, ornithology collection manager at the University of Kansas, three out of five dead owls he examined were malnourished.

  8. Fate of the Snowy Owls • Must compete with hawks and other owls for food. • Not familiar with humans, power lines, roads/highways, automobiles, airplanes, and structural development which can lead to their death or serious injury. • According to Robbins, many snowy owls will not survive. • Snowy Owls who do survive will fly north in late February or early March. • Is the Snowy Owl habitat compromised by global warming?

  9. North Carolina Essential Standard Addressed 4.L.1 Ecosystems “Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats.”

  10. Ideas for integration of articles across the curriculum • Language Arts: Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, Ookpik, by Bruce Hiscock, and other non-fiction selections about Snowy Owls • Math: calculate distances flown by snowy owls, number of lemmings eaten a month, year, lifetime, etc. • Social Studies: study of the indigenous people of the Arctic region; their customs, culture and economy.

  11. Citations: Slide 1 photo: Graham, K. (Photographer). (2006, March 9). Snowy owl [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/science-stories/2006-results/record-counts-of-snowy-owls Slide 3 map: Gleason, D. (Designer). (2013, May 21). Range map [Web Map]. Retrieved from http://eraptors.org/rr_snowyOwl.htm Slide 4 map: Galick, S. (Producer). (2011, November 30). Static view of snowy owl fall observations [Web Map]. Retrieved from http://ebird.org/content/ebird/?p=424 Slide 5, 7, & 8 images: Snowy owl [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://greenplanetethics.com/wordpress/snowy-owls-rare-migration-further-south-remains-mystery/

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