Snowy owls are being spotted in northern Minnesota as the tundra residents seek food south of their usual domain.
Sam Cook of the Duluth News Tribune reports on the story HERE.
Owls are frequently drawn southward by crashes in the population their favorite food species, lemmings. This year’s irruption, as the invasions are called, appears to be caused by the opposite situation, however.
Experts say a large population of lemmings has led to a bumper crop of young owls who were driven south by the territorial behavior of their species. The irruption is populated largely by young-of-the-year males who are the first of the snowy owls to be crowded out due to their smaller size.
The southern invasion spans North America, from Washington and Oregon in the west to New Brunswick in the east.