Buklya at Moscow Zoo: Female polar owl brought to Russian capital

The Moscow Zoo is welcoming a new inhabitant, the polar owl Buklya. Zoologists came up with this name, making a reference to the books and films about Harry Potter (Hedwig is Buklya in Russian translation).

The five-month-old bird was brought to the Russian capital from a Moscow Zoo branch, a zoo in Father Frost’s estate in Veliky Ustyug. The little female was abandoned by its parents, so specialists had to feed it Food was chopped into small pieces, and then the portion was increased as the owl grew.

The bird is feeling well and after a month of quarantine it will be sent to a male of the same species.

“The staff watched the baby’s growth and maturation, weight gain and first flight with great trepidation. Snowy owl babies start fledging at about two months of age. Doctors and zoologists are now happy to know that Buklya has turned from a small grey “ball” into a beautiful white owl,” shares Svetlana Akulova, Director General of the Moscow Zoo.

Polar owls are permanent residents of the Moscow Zoo. They can be found between the otter and polar bear enclosures.

The snowy owl, also known as the polar owl, is a majestic bird that lives in the tundra of Eurasia and North America. The weight of a large individual ranges from 800 grams to three kilograms, the body length reaches 56–65 centimeters, and the wingspan is 150–160 centimeters. Snowy owls can see from great distances and can turn their heads 270 degrees. Acute eyesight and hearing allow them to easily find prey even in low visibility conditions.

Interestingly, these birds are social animals. Males take care of females and young, providing them with food.

The zoo collection in Father Frost’s estate contains 76 species of animals. It contains 892 animals in total, including 491 mammals and 380 birds, of which 14 species are listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, nine species are on the IUCN Red List, and three species are listed in the Red Data Book of the Vologda Region.

Polar owls have been living in the zoo in Father Frost’s estate since 2010.
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