The Snowy Owl breeds in the Arctic Circle during summer. Some even spend winter there. But the smart ones move south to milder climates. Like North Dakota. Or Michigan. :)
They prefer tundra. So in the winter they look for open fields or shorelines where they hunt for birds and rodents. They like to find a high spot on the ground.Or maybe on a perch. Several of us (this bird had attracted a crowd) found it atop a giganto warning siren. Doing exactly nothing. Just sitting (which they do a lot of) looking around.
During summer as they raise their families in the Arctic lemmings are the top menu item. Lemmings are a kind of vole that lives in the far north. They look kind of like gerbils but smaller.
Since the permafrost is hard to dig in they prefer snowy areas where their tunnels can run between the ground and the bottom of the snowpack. There they can eat the plants and roots at the surface of the tundra. It also helps keep them warm (they live year round in the Arctic) and protects them from predators. Sometimes. There are plenty of animals lined up to get their share. Besides Snowy Owls are foxes, weasels, hawks, wolves, sea birds, even bears.
Snowy Owls are so dependent on them for food during this time that when lemming populations are high, owls produce big broods. When low, few owls if any are produced.
And this can be a problem for them since lemmings are subject to extreme population swings. Every few years they have a population explosion. That part’s not hard to understand. They are prolific. Figures are all over the place but I found estimates all the way up to 192 offspring a year. Not only that, newborn females can breed after only 30 days.
But then their numbers dwindle a bit mysteriously for a few years. To near extinction. Then there’s another boom. There are lots of theories about why this happens: increased predation, overgrazing, weather, disease. No one knows for sure.
Except the general public. A lot of them are pretty sure that when lemmings become overpopulated they commit mass suicide by running off cliffs. Into the ocean. It makes a good metaphor. Except scientists say it’s not true. They think the idea comes from the fact that hungry hordes of lemmings sometimes travel en masse through rivers and down steep mountains. Some die. Sometimes many. But scientists say you can’t blame them for preferring to brave the risks of migration over certain starvation. Maybe not.
Still the idea persists. Apparently scientific explanations don’t hold up well against cartoons and video games.
Me? I’m not taking sides on this one.
I will say this, however. If I had 192 kids plus several hundred more grandkids a year? I might run off a cliff too. :)
Distinguishing Marks: Males are all white. Hard to miss. Except in the snow.
(You can see Females and young males. They have stripes. You just can't always tell them apart.)
Boring Fact: One more thing about lemmings. They are famous for getting agitated and aggressive when predators approach. They've even been rumored to attack wolves. But one predator is especially destructive. It's the Stoat (like a weasel). It enters their tunnels, and uses stealth to kill all it can. But eats only the parts it likes. Bodies end up scattered all over the snow. Locals who have seen the aftermath though aren't convinced. There is an easier explanation they say: sometimes lemmings get so darned mad they explode. Not joking. I couldn't make this stuff up.
