The snowy owl of Harry Potter fame is flying towards extinction. The worldwide birding organisation, Birdlife International, has revealed that the beautiful all-white owl is rapidly declining in the colder regions of the northern hemisphere. It has already been declared extinct in Sweden.
Although the snowy owl – one of the largest owls in the world – has long been on the birders’ bucket list it came to prominence with the general public in the hugely popular series of Harry Potter films.
Like other owl species featured in the films, snowy owls are utilised by the wizarding world to deliver mail and parcels. Their notable intelligence, loyalty, and striking beauty also make them highly sought-after pets for the magical families.
The most famous example of a snowy owl is Hedwig, the trusted, beloved pet of Harry Potter. Author J.K. Rowling has stated that she chose a snowy owl for Harry’s pet because she considers them the most beautiful of all owl species. Snowy owls are naturally active during the day, which conveniently allowed Hedwig to be a more visible and interactive companion for Harry during his daily life at Hogwarts.
Despite a starring role in Harry Potter, in the real world all is not well with the owl. As Birdlife International states, it’s becoming much harder to spot this species in wintry skies. In North America snowy owls have decreased by 64 per cent since 1970, vanishing totally from Sweden. Rising global temperatures and development and urbanisation are making it harder for the bird to thrive.
Birdlife International is appealing for funds to save the snowy owl, along with other threatened bird species. The organisation has experts in the field to determine why 22 of the world’s 254 owl species worldwide have been classified as threatened, endangered or critically endangered. Owls are one of the most widely distributed bird families across the world, showcasing remarkable adaptability to a variety of habitats.
The snowy owl’s decline is attributed specifically to disrupted snow cover which offers camouflage and a rodent shortage, both due to warmer winter temperatures which have been increasing in recent years. It is only the males that are pure white; the females’ plumage has flecks of brown and the juveniles are also speckled.
Snowy owls are largely found at far-north latitudes just below the Arctic Circle in North America and Eurasia. In years where there is an explosion in rodent numbers in Canada and the United States the owls can move southward as far as New York.
A birding regret is missing out on seeing a snowy owl which turned up unexpectedly at the fringes of Kennedy Airport one winter when I lived in New York City. With two American birding friends, I searched in vain for two days as the jets took off in the distance.
The freezing cold eventually drove us back to Manhattan.