(KXNET) — Professional winter weather prognosticator Punxsutawney Phil of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania says we have six more weeks of winter ahead of us — he saw his shadow this morning.

But wait a minute — another winter weather forecaster, a chicken named Clucksatawney Henrietta of Katonah, New York, is forecasting an early spring — she laid an egg.

Welcome to the wide world of animal meteorologists — creatures that predict whether winter will continue or end early based on various methods of divining future weather patterns.

A shadow here, an egg there — it’s all part of animal weather “science.”

Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog in Pennsylvania, is the superstar of these forecasters, making his annual predictions since the late 1880s. He’s the most well-known and among the most quoted. He even appeared (rather, a stand-in actually appeared) in a movie built around him — 1993’s “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray.

He may be famous, but his accuracy rate leaves a lot to be desired. According to one count pitting his forecast against the actual outcome, he’s been right only 39 percent of the time.

But Clucksatawney Henrietta the chicken? She’s only been in the forecasting game five years, but her previous four predictions have all been correct.

And a burrowing owl in Cape Coral, Florida today predicted six more weeks of winter. During the 5th annual “Ground Owl Day” activities in the community, the bird saw its shadow, much to the muted dismay of the crowd in a state where winter is relatively mild compared to, say, North Dakota.

There are other animal forecasters across the nation:

  • Pisgah Penny the White Squirrel, in Brevard, North Carolina
  • Fufu the Hedgehog, of the Oregon Zoo. Reportedly, his predictions have been right 53 percent of the time.
  • Stumptown Fil the Beaver, also at the Oregon Zoo.
  • Scramble the Duck, of Eastford, Connecticut.

We’re still waiting on the details of their forecasts from today.

So, you may not want to rely solely on Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast — there are second, third and more opinions available that may be more agreeable to you in terms of winter’s outcome.