You are looking at some close-up video captured of a Snowy Owl and her owlet. These birds are the largest (by weight) of all North American owls. They spend their summers primarily in the far north and Arctic Circle, but you might start seeing them in your ‘hood if you are in the northern regions of North America, Europe, or Asia where they migrate during winter months.
Mature Snowy Owls weigh in at about four pounds, about one pound heavier than a Great Horned Owl and about twice the weight of a Great Grey Owl. The reason for their heftiness lies in their feathers, which are thicker than that of their owl cousins to help insulate them in the cold environments where they live. Snowy Owls are patient hunters and can sit alert on a branch or near a fishing hole for hours, waiting for prey to emerge. Their swiveling heads, extraordinary vision and keen hearing can help them target in on their quarry, even rodents scurrying about under cover of snow. Once prey is located, the owl will fly or sometimes even run and pounce, using great talons to grasp their meal or downing it single gulp of their sharp beaks. They typically nest on tundra ground, the female scraping out a hollow and using her body to shape the area. She’ll lay between 3 and 11 eggs, which take about 32 days to hatch. Those fluffy little hatchlings are born wet and blind, but they get their downy feathers within hours.
The source info for your gif is below.
More info on these beautiful creatures here: Cornell Lab, All About Birds: Snowy Owl
Ta, Martini. I didn't know I need snowy owls this morning.
What incredible footage!