A possible sighting of the rare Snowy Owl in the East End has bird watchers keen to verify whether the Arctic bird is present in Bermuda.

“We can’t confirm it — it was one person, probably a non-birder in St David’s, saying she’s seen a large white owl,” said Audubon Society president Andrew Dobson.

“But it could be one and we’re very keen to hear of any sightings.”

The Snowy Owl is “a very large owl with a pure white colour”, he said. The possible sighting was reported yesterday.

The Island’s recent blast of cold weather from the north could have brought the bird with it.

Any sightings should be reported to the Audubon Society at info@audubon.bm, with as much detail as possible on when and where the owl was spotted, preferably with a picture.

The seldom-seen bird created headlines in Bermuda in the 1980s when a visiting Snowy Owl ate several of Bermuda’s highly endangered cahows — resulting in then Government Conservation Officer David Wingate shooting the bird to prevent more losses.

The male Snowy is almost pure white, while the female shows speckles of black banding in its plumage.