LINCOLN (AP) — Snowy owls from the Arctic are being spotted in Nebraska and other Plains states this winter because greater numbers of the bird migrated farther south this year in search of food.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said 58 sightings of snowy owls have been recorded in the state.
"It's an exceptional year — perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime invasion for the species," said Joel Jorgensen, the state agency's nongame bird specialist.
The owls are identifiable by their brilliant white color, measure 2 feet or taller and can have wingspans of nearly 5 feet.
In recent weeks 49 snowy owl sightings have been reported in Iowa and more than 100 were reported in Wisconsin, Betsy Finch of Raptor Recovery Nebraska said.
Audubon magazine's website reports that snowy owls have been spotted as far south as Oklahoma and Hawaii.
But the owls that fly this far south often arrive weak and hungry, and they may not be strong enough to return to the arctic.
Finch's organization in Elmwood has already treated one snowy owl after it was hit by a car. She said that owl should have weighed 5 pounds, but instead weighed 2 pounds, 11 ounces. That bird died Tuesday.
The reason more snowy owls are flying south this year is because the small rodents they usually eat are scarce.
"They are leaving their habitats and heading south in search of food because the lemming population has crashed," Finch said.
Paul Johnsgard, ornithologist and professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said it's rare to see snowy owls around Lincoln, but one reportedly was spotted near Wilderness Park.
"It's an unlikely habitat for snowy owls, because they nest on the tundras," said Johnsgard, referring to the southwest Lincoln park. "You would not find one nesting in a tree."
Snowy owls are the heaviest of all owls found in North America, Johnsgard said. They prefer open areas so they can have a 360-degree view of the countryside.
Johnsgard said he used to see snowy owls regularly when he was growing up in North Dakota, but that was about as far south as they went. He said anyone who sees a snowy owl should enjoy the beautiful bird.
"Any owl is great fun to see," Johnsgard said.
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