I'm Owen the Puffkin Snowy owl made
by Swibco and I'm the owl up front and in the middle of this
group of Snowy Owls. At far left is the Class of 2004
Beanie Baby Snowy Owl and the little owl in front of the Beanie
is a keychain made by the Stuffed Animal House. The middle
owl in back is a Snowy Owl made by Wild Republic. It is a limited
edition owl that is only available by purchasing 6 other Audubon
Birds from any retailer who sells them. Jeannie's Cottage does
sell the Audubon Bird series. 
You'll
find them in the Gift
Shop. The owl on the right is a female Snowy Owl made by
Wild Republic.
The Snowy Owl, Nyctea scandiaca,
of the family Strigidae, is a large 
(length:
24 inches, wingspan: 4 feet 7 inches) white owl with rounded
head and yellow eyes. Dark bars and spots are heavier on females,
heaviest on young birds. Old males may be pure white. The Snowy's
habitat is open country: tundra, dunes, marshes and fields, plains.
Snowy Owls show little fear of human activities, and so it is
not uncommon to see one perched on the roof of a building or
on a highway sign beside an airport.
The owls are usually silent in winter,
but on their breeding grounds they hoot, whistle, rattle and
bark.
The nest, found on the ground, is lined
with feathers, mosses and lichens. There the female lays 5-8
white eggs.
In order to withstand the harsh northern
winters, Snowies are densely covered with feathers all the way
down to their toes.
The prey is chiefly lemmings (but Snowies
also take hares, ptarmigan, shorebirds, small ducks, and other
birds, as well as some fish). They hunt by day during the Arctic
summer, as well as at night.
The Snowy retreats from the northernmost
part of its range in winter. In years when the lemming population
plummets, Snowies may wander in winter as far south as northern
Alabama, Oklahoma and central California. These irruptives, usually
heavily barred younger birds, are often highly visible, perched
conspicuously on the ground or on low stumps, fence posts and
buildings. Snowies breed in northern Alaska and in northernmost
Canada. They winter south throughout Canada into the northern
United States, irregularly farther. They are also found in Eurasia.
