Snowy owl witnessed in Hungary for the first time in 100 years

For the first time since 1891, a Snowy owl has been registered on the 14th of February in Bóly, a village situated in Baranya County, Hungary. According to Csaba Lendvai, colleague of the Hungarian Association of Ornithology and Nature Conservation, there had only been one verified registration of Snowy owls in Hungary, in 1891. This occurrence is a real rarity in our country, writes librarius.hu.

The man who noticed the rare specimen sent photos to the specialist living nearby, so that a professional team could take stock of the bird. Many passers-by gathered around the rare sight and took pictures of the owl that was resting on the roof of a house. Due to the enthusiastic observers, the animal had been documented thoroughly.

The Snowy owl rarely appears in Central Europe, this unexpected visit in the region is due to the hostile weather of the Northern regions of the continent and the lack of prey. This has forced Snowy owls to spread south. These birds are originally from the tundras of the polar region, writes librarius.hu, they are nesting in Canada, Alaska and Eurasia.

Opinions vary about the origin of the specimen registered in Bóly, and the Nomenclature Committee (the establishment that verifies bird rarities) can only decide of the classification when there will be enough reliable information about the Snowy owl observed in Hungary.

based on article of librarius.hu
translated by Laura Kocsis

Photo: József Mészáros

Source: http://librarius.hu