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Strix nebulosa lapponica
The name "nebulosa" is derived from the Latin "Nebulosus", meaning misty or foggy. The Great Gray Owl has also been called Great Gray Ghost, among many other local names.
Skansen, a zoo in Stockholm. But according to Wikipedia, the normal habitat for this bird are: North America from as far east as Quebec to the Pacific coast and Alaska, Scandinavia and Estonia across northern Asia. They are permanent residents, but may move south and southeast when food is scarce. A small population, estimated at less than 100 birds, occurs in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. This population is the southernmost population of the species' range and is listed Endangered under California's Endangered Species Act.
The Great Gray Owl has a distinctive primary call which is a very soft, low-pitched hoot "whooo-ooo-ooo-ooo" with the notes emitted slowly over a 6 to 8 second period. Calls are repeated every 15 to 30 seconds. This call is used as a territorial declaration and can be heard up to 800m away under good conditions. There are two subspecies; Strix nebulosa nebulosa (North America) and Strix nebulosa lapponica (North Europe, North Asia and Sakhalin) If you are interested to know more about the Great Gray Owl, there is a link to an "owl-page" with this spotting.
Spotted on Jul 1, 2013
Submitted on Jul 4, 2013
4 Comments
Thank you very much Mona :)
Awesome owl..
One can understand that this bird is surrounded by myths. Thank you for your comment Kerry :)
Oh Tiz, He is beautiful! Looks like he has a knitted hood on, the feathers are so intricate. Great shots!