Snowy Owl

Nyctea scandiaca (Linnaeus, 1758)

		young bird female male
2011-01-02 SE from Kanshengel. Almaty oblast. 2009-12-06 Druzhba vill, Kamysty reg, Kostanay oblast2011-04-25 Atyrau oblast.	© Andrey Kovalenko © Aleksey Timoshenko© Fedor Sarayev

Distribution

Occurs in open landscapes from the northern border of country in south to Urda village and Kamysh-Samarskiye lakes, Makhambet village in Ural valley, on Mangyshlak, Northern Trans-Aral area, Syrdarya valley and in northern foothills of Tien Shan (Almaty). Earlier occasionally observed in Markakol lake area, in foothills of Western Altai and in Zaysan depression.

Biology

Rare, in places accidental winter visitor. Occurs in open lands near forest patches, in river valleys with bushes and trees, in steppes, semi-deserts or ploughed fields, with telegraph or electric poles often. In autumn appears in end of October – November. In spring latest birds recorded in April – early of May.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург. Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000.