"The Snowy Owl ~official bird of Quebec" Poster

The Snowy Owl is the official bird of Quebec. Snowy owls are white with narrow, sparse brown bars and spots. Their golden coloured eyes are rather small for an owl and their toes and claws are thickly covered with feathers. Their dark coloured bills are short and strong and sharply pointed. They are among the largest North American owl species. As its name might suggest, snowy owls may face threats from climate change, linked to changing temperatures that affect both their habitat and prey. In North America, snowy owls are found during the breeding season from the western Aleutians in Alaska to northeastern Manitoba (Churchill), northern Quebec and northern Labrador in Canada. In the winter, they can regularly be found in the northern United States. Sporadically they can be found as far south as central California as well as in Texas and Florida. Other threats to snowy owls include collisions with automobiles, utility lines and other objects and gunshot wounds. Recent alarming reports indicate these birds are being illegally killed for their eyes and feet, which are traded in Asian markets.