McPherson Square Snowy Owl Hit by Bus Thursday Morning

A snowy owl that has captured the attention of Washington, D.C. was reportedly hit by a bus Thursday morning near 15th and I streets NW, according to The Washington Post.

The owl is apparently still alive after it was taken to the National Zoo and treated there by a veterinarian. The Post article notes that the owl has been taken to City Wildlife where it will rest and be treated before it's set free.

Snowy owls are appearing in unexpected points to the south this winter, including Reagan National Airport.

Atlantic Cities recently picked up a photo of a snowy owl at hanging out near a DCA runway taken on Jan. 9 by Alexandria resident Erin Cuomo.

Usually found in Northern Canada and Alaska, the snowy owls are popping up in various points south this winter because of a presumed deficit of Arctic lemmings, according to Atlantic Cities. The ivory-colored owls require up to 12 small rodents a day to survive.  

On Friday, HamptonRoads.com reported sightings of a snowy owl in the Virginia Beach area. The gorgeous raptors made just their third appearance ever in northeast Florida this winter, according to News4Jax.com.

Airports have become popular sighting spots because the runways and airfields appear similar to he owls’ native Arctic tundra,according to the New York Times.

Cuomo, along with her husband, Jake, have sent Patch photos of wildlife in the past, including some stunning shots of a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk in their Hume Springs neighborhood.

(Excerpted from Snowy Owl Spotted Near Alexandria, Jan. 19, 2014, by Drew Hansen)