The main purpose of the SNOWL coin project is to combat global warming on a global scale. However, while doing this, it is very important to create a symbol suitable for the purpose of the project. In this way, the advertisement and recognition of the project can be increased more easily. As a result of long researches, it was decided that this symbol should be a snowy owl. The reason for this is that snowy owls are one of the species that are first affected by global warming due to the climate they live in. It is desired to raise awareness about global warming around the world through the values represented by the snowy owl. We would like to inform you about the physical and biological characteristics of the snowy owl, which is the symbol of the project.
Features
COMMON NAME: Snowy Owl
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Bubo scandiaca
TYPE: Birds
DIET: Carnivore
GROUP NAME: Solitary
AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 10 years
SIZE: Body: 20 to 28 inches; wingspan: 4.2 to 4.8 feet
WEIGHT: 3.5 to 6.5 pounds
SIZE RELATIVE TO A 6-FT MAN:
Reproduction
These large owls breed on the Arctic tundra, where females lay a clutch of 3 to 11 eggs. Clutch size depends upon the availability of food, and in particularly lean times a usually monogamous pair of owls may not breed at all. Parents are territorial and will defend their nests against all comers—even wolves.
White Coloring
Young owls, especially males, get whiter as they get older. Females are darker than males, with dusky spotting, and never become totally white. Some elderly males do become completely white, though many retain small flecks of dusky plumage.
Hunting and Diet
The snowy owl is a patient hunter that perches and waits to identify its prey before soaring off in pursuit. Snowy owls have keen eyesight and great hearing, which can help them find prey that is invisible under thick vegetation or snow cover. The owls deftly snatch their quarry with their sharp talons.
A snowy owl's preferred meal is lemmings—many lemmings. An adult may eat more than 1,600 lemmings a year, or three to five every day. The birds supplement their diet with rabbits, rodents, birds, and fish.
Migration
These magnificent owls sometimes remain year-round in their northern breeding grounds, but they are frequent migrants to Canada, the northern United States, Europe, and Asia. Lemming availability may determine the extent of southern migration, when owls take up summer residence on open fields, marshes, and beaches.