ByLauren Silver, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
ByLauren Silver, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
WASHINGTON — A rare owl has been spotted touring the iconic monuments of Washington, D.C. for the last week, bringing out bird enthusiasts anxious to get a glimpse of the animal.
The snowy owl was first spotted on Jan. 3, and has since been seen at Union Station, the National Postal Museum, Senate buildings, and Capitol Police headquarters, The Associated Press reported.
Rare snowy owl spotted on Washington, D.C. monuments A rare snowy owl looks down from its perch atop of the Louis St. Gaudens's allegorical Archimedes statue, representing the gift of mechanics, on the parapet above the entrance of Union Station in Washington, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
It’s rare to see a snowy owl in the D.C. area because they usually migrate from the Arctic to New England for the winter, The Washington Post reported.
Though rare, there have been recent cases where the owls have been spotted. In 2018, two snowy owls were seen near the National Mall, and in 2014, at least four were reported in the D.C. area, The Washington Post reported.
Scientists consider snowy owls “vulnerable” to extinction, and estimate there are fewer than 30,000 of them in the wild, The AP reported.
Matt Felperin, a naturalist for NOVA Parks in Northern Virginia, told The Washington Post the owl likely won’t stay in the D.C. area beyond March.
A nonprofit platform used by birdwatchers, eBird, reported snowy owls have been seen this winter in Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Maryland, CBS News reported.
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Photos: Rare snowy owl visits D.C. monuments A rare snowy owl twists its head to look backwards from atop the large marble orb of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain at the entrance to Union Station in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Photos: Rare snowy owl visits D.C. monuments A rare snowy owl looks down from its perch atop of the Louis St. Gaudens's allegorical Archimedes statue, representing the gift of mechanics, on the parapet above the entrance of Union Station in Washington, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Photos: Rare snowy owl visits D.C. monuments With the U.S. Capitol dome in the distance, birdwatchers line Columbus Circle in front of Union Station in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, hoping for a glimpse of a rare snowy owl that has been seen there and around Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Photos: Rare snowy owl visits D.C. monuments A rare snowy owl looks down from its perch high atop the large marble orb of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain at the entrance to Union Station in Washington, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Photos: Rare snowy owl visits D.C. monuments A rare snowy owl looks down from its perch on a marble eagle of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain at the entrance to Union Station in Washington, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Photos: Rare snowy owl visits D.C. monuments An American Flag flies in the distance as a rare snowy owl looks down from its perch atop the large stone orb of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain at the entrance to Union Station in Washington, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. Far from its summer breeding grounds in Canada, the snowy owl was first seen on January 3, the day a winter storm dumped eight inches of snow on the city. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Photos: Rare snowy owl visits D.C. monuments A rare snowy owl looks out from its perch atop the large marble orb supported by four eagles of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain at the entrance to Union Station in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. “Snowy owls are coming from a part of the world where they see almost nothing human, from completely treeless open Arctic tundra,” said Scott Weidensaul, a researcher at nonprofit Project SNOWStorm, which tracks snowy owl movements. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Photos: Rare snowy owl visits D.C. monuments A rare snowy owl takes flight from its' perch atop the Louis St. Gaudens's allegorical Themis statue, representing freedom and justice, on the parapet above the entrance of Union Station in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Photos: Rare snowy owl visits D.C. monuments In a long exposure photo, a rare snowy owl takes flight from atop the large marble orb of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain at the entrance to Union Station in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Photos: Rare snowy owl visits D.C. monuments Birdwatchers line Columbus Circle in front of Union Station in Washington, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, hoping for a glimpse of a rare snowy owl that has been seen there and around Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
