Rare snowy owl captured on Canadian traffic camera

MONTREAL, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- A rare owl was captured on photograph by a traffic camera near a Canadian highway.

The photos show a snowy owl, Quebec's official bird, flying towards a camera on Highway 40 in Montreal. Transport Minister Robert Poeti shared the photos of the bird to social media and marveled at its beauty.

McGill Bird Observatory director Barbar Frei told the CBC that despite being the province's official bird, snowy owls are rarely seen in the area occasionally making winter trips to various Canada from their breeding ground near the Arctic Circle.

She added that the owl in the photos likely came across the camera while looking for a place to hunt.

"I think they are attracted specifically to the highway because it has open, grassy fields nearby which is perfect for hunting their favorite prey, which is small rodents," Frei said.