Treasures from Our West: Snowy owl

Originally featured in Points West magazine in Spring 2016

Snow owl (Bubo scandiacus)

The snowy owl is the heaviest North American owl. These birds nest and spend summers in the vast, treeless tundra, north of the Arctic Circle. They hunt lemmings, ptarmigan, and other prey throughout 24-hour daylight. When summer hunting is good, these owls raise large broods that lead to a population boom. Especially during these population booms, many snowy owls leave the far north to spend winter in wide-open spaces through much of the United States, from west to east coasts, and as far south as Texas.

This snowy owl specimen, currently displayed in the Draper Natural History Museum’s Naturalist’s Cabin, was found injured near Cody in January 2013. Susan Ahalt of Ironside Bird Rescue tried to save this beautiful bird, but unfortunately it died of its injuries soon after. Ahalt transferred the specimen to the Draper Museum, and master taxidermist Brian Peterson of Cedar Creek Taxidermy in Cedar Creek, Missouri, mounted it in this dramatic pose.

Snowy owl specimen. DRA.304.367

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