Snowy owl numbers up considerably in Iowa

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Snowy owl sightings are up and Sioux City television station KTIV reports that an estimated 50 and 75 snowy owls are in Iowa this winter – considerably higher than an average winter, when there are about 10 snowy owls in the state.

Wildlife officials say it’s part of a cycle every four to five years, when larger numbers of snowy owls come south.

Matt Wetrich of Carroll County Conservation says the all-white raptors native to the Arctic can be spotted on fence and utility poles, as well as rock piles and in fields “just sitting on the ground.”