Snowy Owls in Decline
© Bryan Pfeiffer
Mistaken about these birds for decades, might we now make amends?
THE WORLD has far fewer Snowy Owls than wildlife biologists once believed, and breeding populations of these charismatic raptors have been declining at a disturbing rate.
So says a new assessment of the Snowy Owl (Bubo scandicus) conducted by an international group of researchers. But before we panic or jump to conclusions, there is some good news in this study — even opportunity for us to make more sense of the world.
Breaking news like this isn’t terrain I routinely cover at Chasing Nature, but the publication has received scant media attention. Besides, the Snowy Owl is an icon of culture and nature. So in addition to explaining the state of the Snowy Owl for you, I’ll offer some perspective about our place on a warming planet from between the lines of this study, titled “Status assessment and conservation priorities for a circumpolar raptor: the Snowy Owl Bubo scandicus,” published last month in Bird Conservation International. 01-17-25
