Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca)

Abundance:  Occasional (2 records in 2 counties, 1 in Kentucky and 1 in Tennessee, each involving a single bird).

Status: Winter Resident, but might also appear during late fall and early spring; sight records.

Information on Records: 

1 December 1956 (1) c. 2.5 km west of Cumberland County line on Rt. 70S, White County, Tennessee (J. M. Kellberg et al.; Kellberg 1956).

Pre-1962 (1) Barren County, Kentucky (Wilson 1962).

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Habitat: Large, open areas, especially agricultural land.

Remarks: The Barren County record involves a specimen taken in that county "some years" prior to 1962 (Wilson 1962: 14); the specimen was then in the Edwards collection at the Kentucky Museum.  The description of the White County bird is not wholly satisfactory in that the the owl's head was turned away from the observers, so the "face" of the owl was apparently not viewed; despite this shortcoming in the record, other descriptive details about the bird, especially its size and overall color, are consistent with features of Snowy Owl (Kellberg 1956), so the record seems likely to be valid.

Counties with Observations (boldfaced):

To see a map (Figure 1) displaying the data in the table above, click on the boldfaced word in this sentence.

Literature Cited