The eagle owl

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 88878

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Sea Change" <nakedkali at y...> 
wrote:
 
Sea Change:
> 
> No!  What an interesting find!  I had always assumed because Hedwig
> was huge and prone to biting people that an eagle owl is what she 
was.
>  On rereading the first book, apparently her size and ill temper 
(and
> perhaps other monstrous traits) are simply accountable to the fact
> that she's the kind of owl that Hagrid would like, and it was him 
who
> gave her to Harry.
> 

Geoff:
Hedwig is a snowy owl, which hails from the Arctic and is the same 
size as an eagle owl.

I don't think canon suggests that she is particularly ill-tempered. 
She gets a bit grumpy if Harry is off-hand and if he encourages her 
to make her presence felt -  as when "requesting" replies in OOTP.

In fact, canon remarks - 

"Harry now carried a large cage which held a beautiful snowy owl...."

(PS "Diagon Alley" p.63 UK edition)

Geoff (founder member of SoSo.. Support our Snowy Owls)