PLEASE ZOOM - You have to see those feet LOL Probably you ALL will recognize this guy. This is a snowy owl. Raddar asked where I shot these pictures. Well, a few years ago my wife and I went to an owl show where a handler was presenting a very informative presentation about owls to help educate the general public about these wondrous birds of the night. As I recall they ALL were in captivity ONLY because they were not able to be put back into the wild for one reason or another - usually an injury of some sort. The owls were all kept in their own wooden travel boxes with perches. These boxes were made to keep the birds in the dark (they ARE night birds after all) and sedate until it was time to be shown. It was rather exciting when she got to this fellow. First she warned us all saying, "this guy is pretty high strung and he's going to explode out of his box when I open it. So be prepared." Sure enough, when she carefully opened the door this beautiful white owl burst forth all in a flutter. But he settled down quickly once he was perched on her arm. NOW for some snowy owl facts: Size: Length 51-68.5 cm (20-27") average female 66cm (26" inches), male 59cm (23") Wingspan 137-164cm (54-65") Weight 1134-2000g (40-70oz) average female 1707g (60oz), male 1612g (57oz) Habits: Snowy Owls are active during the daytime, from dawn to dusk. They have a direct, strong, and steady flight with deliberate, powerful down-strokes and quick upstrokes. They make short flights, close to the ground, from perch to perch, and usually perches on the ground or a low post. During hot weather, they can thermo-regulate by panting and spreading their wings. Snowy Owls are very aggressive when defending their nest. Voice: The Snowy Owl is virtually silent during non-breeding seasons. The typical call of the male is a loud, harsh, grating bark, while the female has a similar higher pitched call. During the breeding season males have a loud, booming "hoo, hoo" given as a territorial advertisement or mating call. Females rarely hoot. Its attack call is a guttural "krufff-guh-guh-guk". When excited it may emit a loud "hooo-uh, hooo-uh, hooo-uh, wuh-wuh-wuh". Other sounds are dog-like barks, rattling cackles, shrieks, hissing, and bill-snapping. Nestlings "cheep" up to 2 weeks of age, then hiss and squeal.