Snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus) are large, white owls that inhabit the Arctic tundra. They are diurnal hunters and feed mainly on lemmings and other small rodents. Snowy owls are popular birds in zoos and bird shows, where they are known for their beautiful plumage and calm demeanor. But can these wild owls be trained?
Can Snowy Owls Be Kept as Pets?
In many parts of the world, it is illegal to keep snowy owls as pets. They are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States and under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Even if it is legal to own a snowy owl in your area, their needs in captivity are difficult to meet. These owls have very specific dietary, housing, and exercise requirements that most people cannot accommodate. For these reasons, snowy owls do not make good pets.
Are Snowy Owls Intelligent Enough to Be Trained?
Yes, snowy owls do seem to have the intelligence required for training. Owls have relatively large brains compared to other birds, and the snowy owl has been observed using problem-solving skills in the wild. Researchers have seen them doing things like boxing lemmings with their wings to restrict the rodents’ movements before striking. This shows their capacity for complex hunting strategies.
Snowy owls also have good vision and observational skills. Their eyes are fixed in their sockets, so they must constantly move their head to see in different directions. The placement of their eyes gives them excellent depth perception. Snowy owls can detect subtle movements from far away, which helps them hunt. These visual capabilities could be useful in training.
So while definitive intelligence testing has not been done on snowy owls specifically, their observable behaviors suggest they are intelligent enough to be trained.
What Are Some Methods for Training Snowy Owls?
Just because snowy owls can be trained does not mean the process is easy. These are still wild animals with innate behaviors and reactions. Any training program for snowy owls must account for their natural behaviors and tendencies. Here are some methods that can be effective:
– Use food motivation – Offering favored treats like mice or chicks as rewards for desired behaviors can be effective. But food rewards must be phased out slowly over time. Relying on food alone tends to produce obedience just during training sessions.
– Keep training varied – Snowy owls are intelligent and get bored easily. Switching up training place, rewards, cues, and behaviors keeps them engaged and learning.
– Keep sessions brief – Snowy owls have short attention spans, especially when young. Frequent short sessions of just a few minutes each prevents frustration and encourages progress.
– Allow opportunities to hunt – Even trained snowy owls need chances to express natural hunting behaviors regularly. Providing live prey items to catch prevents these skills from atrophying.
– Use vocal cues – Snowy owls are very vocal birds, using various hoots and shrieks to communicate in the wild. Training them to associate certain cues with actions capitalizes on their natural vocal tendencies.
– Start young – As with any animal, snowy owls trained from a very young age will be most receptive. But proper falconry techniques must be used to raise imprinted birds.
Patience and persistence are vitally important with training snowy owls given their high native intelligence and independence. It is also critical to ensure their complex physical and psychological needs are fully met both during and after training sessions.
What Can Snowy Owls Be Trained to Do?
When properly trained, snowy owls are capable of learning a variety of behaviors and tasks:
– Returning to a handler or home cage on command
– Carrying small objects on flights
– Hunting and retrieving live prey delivered by a handler
– Flying through obstacle courses and navigating tight spaces
– Vocalizing on cue
– Tolerating hoods and jesses used in falconry
– Perching on a handler’s glove, arm, or other perch
Some snowy owls have even been trained to participate in education programs. With time and effort, they can become quite comfortable around crowds of people and loud noises. Their natural calm temperament helps with this.
But again, their wild nature means a trained snowy owl will never be as reliable off-leash as a falcon or parrot. Their hunting drive always needs consideration as well. Completely suppressing their natural behaviors for long is neither practical nor ethical.
Are Snowy Owls Popular Display or Performance Birds?
Snowy owls are extremely popular birds for public display due to their large size, beautiful plumage, and exotic Arctic origins. They are in high demand for:
– Bird shows and falconry demonstrations at zoos, nature centers, and bird of prey exhibits
– Photo opportunities at raptor education programs and wildlife theme parks
– Exhibit specimens at natural history and bird museums
Their bright white color, piercing yellow eyes, and overall elegance make snowy owls magnets for public attention. And well-trained snowy owls can reliably perform programmed behaviors in shows or tolerate human interaction for photos.
However, snowy owls should not be made to perform beyond their natural abilities. Dramatic flights, stunts, or excessive handling stresses them. Responsible handlers limit snowy owl activities and interactions based on each bird’s comfort levels. Their welfare comes first.
Are There Any Famous Trained Snowy Owls?
Some individually famous trained snowy owls include:
– Hedwig – Snowy owl featured in the Harry Potter films. Portrayed by male snowy owls Gizmo, Ook, and Swoops. Handled by UK bird trainer Jacques Martiau.
– Olympia – Female snowy owl that delivered the Olympic torch at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Trained by John Rayhawk.
– Archimedes – Male snowy owl featured in Arena Show productions like “The Snowy Owl Show” and “Animal Actors Live.” Known for vocalizing on cue and interacting with handlers.
– Sir Lancelot – Male snowy owl trained by Steve Martin for educational programs at the Maryland Zoo. Displayed natural showmanship.
– Shakespeare & Einstein – Pair of snowy owls at the Cincinnati Zoo trained to fly between handlers in demonstrations.
These talented birds help demonstrate that snowy owls can become comfortable being handled by trainers and performing before large, noisy crowds when properly trained.
What Are the Risks of Training Snowy Owls?
While snowy owls can make excellent display birds, there are risks associated with training and working with them that must be considered:
– Injury hazards – A large, powerful raptor can inadvertently injure handlers with their talons, wings, or beak. Protective gear is essential.
– Biting and striking – Even well-trained snowy owls may bite or hit handlers, especially if startled or over-stressed. This must be carefully monitored.
– Loss of hunting skills – Relying solely on humans to provide food can cause their natural hunting abilities to deteriorate. Allowing free flight and hunting opportunities is important.
– Musculoskeletal injury – Repetitive actions and unnatural positions during training and performance can strain joints and muscles over time. Handlers have to ensure proper exercise and rest.
– Illness – Keeping snowy owls long-term in climates warmer than their native Arctic habitat makes them prone to illness and injury. Climate control and veterinary care is a must.
– Psychological stress – Being handled, transported, enclosed, and around noise/crowds can negatively impact these reclusive wild birds. Their stress levels require vigilant management at all times.
With proper training techniques, housing, veterinary care, protective measures, and responsible management, these risks can be minimized. But they can never be fully eliminated when working with large predatory birds. Their well-being must take top priority in any training program.
Can Snowy Owls Be Kept for Falconry?
The use of trained birds of prey to hunt wild game, known as falconry or hawking, has been practiced for thousands of years. Falconers possess permits that allow them to take raptors from the wild and keep them for hunting. But can snowy owls be used?
Falconry regulations in the United States and Canada prohibit the use of snowy owls for falconry. They are not on the legal raptor species lists for falconers in these countries. And any snowy owls acquired must be captive-bred rather than taken from the wild.
There are good reasons for these restrictions:
– Wild snowy owl populations are vulnerable to habitat loss in their Arctic breeding areas. Removing them from the wild can be damaging.
– Their specialized diet of lemmings and other small rodents makes feeding and weight maintenance challenging for falconers.
– Their strong natural instincts to hunt opportunistically are difficult to train out, making them less reliable hunters.
– As tundra species, snowy owls are not well adapted to being kept in the warmer habitats where most falconers live.
So while it’s not strictly illegal for a properly licensed falconer to possess a captive-bred snowy owl in some areas, they remain extremely rare in falconry due to the many difficulties of handling these wild birds. There are far more suitable species for most falconers to choose from.
Conclusion
Snowy owls are intelligent, highly skilled avian predators that can be trained with patience and proper technique. Their natural behavior tendencies do limit how far they can be trained, but snowy owls are still incredibly impressive display birds. These Arctic natives will always retain strong wild instincts, requiring responsible management by trainers. With care and respect for their welfare, snowy owls can thrive and successfully learn behaviors that educate and captivate audiences. Their beauty in trained displays highlights the magnificence of their species.