Snowy Owls Soar South from Arctic in Rare Mass Migration: Rising numbers of Snowy Owls from the Arctic are flying into the lower 48 states this winter–a mass migration that a leading owl researcher called “unbelievable.” Thousands of the snow-white birds have been seen from Idaho and Montana to Missouri and Oklahoma and even to the shorelines of Massachusetts. One bird was shot and killed at an airport in Hawaii to keep it from causing a collision with airplanes.
Considered the most significant wildlife event in decades, the phenomenon is likely linked to lemmings, a rodent that accounts for 90% of the Snowy Owls’ diet. An especially plentiful supply of lemmings last season led to a population boom among the owls, and the greater competition this year for food in the Far North may have driven the younger, mostly male owls farther south than normal.
Read full story at:
http://news.yahoo.com/snowy-owls-soar-south-arctic-rare-mass-migration-175336821.html
Share this post...