Portrait of a snowy owl by Carla van Zomeren

About "Portrait of a snowy owl"

by Carla van Zomeren

About the artwork

The snowy owl ( Bubo scandiacus) is a bird in the owl family. The snowy owl measures between 55 - 70 cm and weighs between 1 and 2.5 kilograms. Its average age is around 20 years. The snowy owl has mainly white plumage with black spots. Males and older specimens are whiter than the others. The white reflects in the sun, a feature the birds would use to make their presence known in their territory. The face, throat and breast are the whitest and are placed in the sun the most.
The whitest birds may also take advantage of the albedo of snow, possibly allowing them to select lower, less visible seats than more spotted specimens.
Virtually the entire face of the snowy owl is insulated The insulation provided by the snowy owl's plumage is extraordinarily developed.
To begin with, this bird is almost entirely feathered. It has a short bill, of which only the tip protrudes.
The eyes are protected by long, dense eyelashes.
The legs are enveloped in long feather 'trousers', which extend to the claws. Under the tight-fitting layer of cover feathers, the animal wears warm 'underwear' of fine down. Finally, the structure of the feathers also contributes to their insulating effect: the core of the feathers is hollow, allowing them to store warm air.
Source: Wikipedia where you can read more about the snowy owl.

It is certainly beautiful....

Conceived by Carla van Zomeren, visualized with AI.