Snowy owls which usually prey on creatures in the Arctic, have flown south in surprisingly large numbers this year and are creating a hazard at some airports. The birds of prey have been sighted as far south as Florida and Bermuda.
Every few years large numbers come south, but there haven’t been this many in some 50 years. Experts are not certain why but say there may have been a particularly good breeding season which would have increased the number of birds. They may have faced a particularly harsh winter in the north.
Airports look like good hunting grounds
A record 27 snowy owls have been captured in the last three weeks at Toronto’s Pearson Airport. The birds are used to hunting on flat arctic tundra and sea ice. Airports may seem to them like a good alternative.
However if the birds get sucked into a jet engine, they can cause a great deal of damage. Wildlife experts have been capturing the birds of prey, measuring and tagging them, then releasing them 100 kilometers away.
The snowy owls are expected to fly north again in mid-March.
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