by npr.org, snowy owls, which is the breed of owl
that Hedwig, Harry Potter's owl is known to be.
The snowy owls have been spotted in
numerous locations, including:
New York, Michigan, Oklahoma,
Kansas, some parts of Massachusetts,
and Vermont.
Although it's uncertain exactly why snowy owls are moving down further
into the U.S. now, npr.org does offer this possible explanation:
"It's result of a big population of Arctic lemmings —
the small rodents often depicted jumping off cliffs en masse —
which caused a great breeding season.
Lemmings are snowy owls' main food source, and the baby boom is sending many of the
youngsters across the border to scrounge for voles, field mice, rats, rabbits and shore birds."
Snowy Owls being spotted across the U.S. in such large numbers
is certainly unusual to say the least.
Now the question is: Will the U.S. continue to see large amounts of these iconic birds?