The Snowy Owl

A common problem in the field of blogging is that blogs are usually not viewed as credible sources of information. Unlike newspaper articles or journal articles, blogs are not always written by professionals in their field, and they can be written by anyone who wants to share their opinion with the world. Blogs are also seen as non-credible sources of information because many times the bloggers don't site their sources or they use unreliable sources. Blogs are also opinionated, which is another reason they are looked down upon. For this blog post I am going to write a blog in which I site credible sources and use reliable information in hope of giving blogs a better reputation and make a change in the domain of blogging.

The Snowy Owl

Anyone who has every seen the Harry Potter movies knows that Harry has a snowy owl named Hedwig that delivers his mail. However, I'm assuming that for most of you that is the depth of your knowledge on the snowy owl. If that is the case don't fear, this blog will inform you all about these magnificent creatures.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (the study of birds) the snowy owl is a two foot tall, four pound owl, that lives mostly in the northern regions of Greenland, Scandinavia, Russia, Alaska and Canada (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Just a side note, I would say that Hogwarts is probably a good climate for the snowy owl to live in. However, the snowy owl is known to travel as far south as central California, Texas and Florida, due to disruptions in weather patterns or the changes in the life cycle of lemmings, the snowy owl's main prey (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Snowy owls typically live for about 9.5 years and they lay anywhere from 3 to 11 eggs a year (National Geographic). They also have a carnivorous diet that consists mainly of lemmings (which they eat 1,600 of per year), rabbits, rodents, birds and fish (National Geographic).

Now that you know the basic facts about the snowy owl (more than that they deliver mail to wizards), I am going to talk a little about some of the issues that are related to this species. The snowy owl is not on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's list of endangered species (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). However, they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (National Wildlife Refuge Association). Although they are under this protection, there are many Alaskan residents that shoot these owls for food and clothing, which is where a lot of the controversy come in ( National Wildlife Refuge Association). Like I mentioned earlier snowy owls can have a large territory in which they live, which has caused problems as of late. According to a News Hound article, people are killing snowy owls because they have been abundant in areas where they usually do not live (News Hound). There is an abundance of snowy owls in the world, but the killing of them is a sign that their populations could drop if they are not closely monitored, and if stricter restrictions are not put on the hunting of the snowy owl.

This is just a little bit of the vast amounts of information about the Snowy Owl, and there is a lot more out there to learn. For now i hope this was enough to interest you and possibly inspire you to learn more about this beautiful and amazing bird.

Works Cited:

All About Birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Web. 27 April 2014.

National Geographic: Survey Owl. National Geographic. Web. 27 April 2014.

National Wildlife Refuge Association: Snowy Owl. National Wildlife Refuge Association. Web. 27 April 2014.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Endangered Species. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Web. 27 April 2014.

Ellen, P. "Hannity 'Celebrates' Earth Day By Attacking Climate Science With His Know-Nothing Pal, Mark Steyn." News Hound. 23 April 2014. Web. 27 April 2014.