Snowy Owl

a snowy owl on snow in winter
Snowy owl. Photo by Zdeněk Macháček

Appearance: The snowy owls are large owls about 20-30″ long with round heads, and thick feathering throughout their body. Although much of their body is white they also sport black and brown markings throughout. The males are much whiter than the females.

Diet: Snowy owls will eat a variety of food including lemmings, Arctic hares, mice, ducks, and seabirds. They’ll swallow the smaller prey whole.

Feeder food: They do not visit feeders.

Habitat: As their name implies, snowy owls prefer northern climates. They can be found near open areas with few trees. In Canada’s Northwest Territories and Greenland, where they also breed, they live in the tundra, but also inhabit grasslands and open fields. During winter they prefer to be near lake and ocean shorelines but are also seen in farmers’ fields.

Nesting: The nest is built on a shallow hollowed-out area on the ground. They have 1 brood/season, 3-11 eggs/brood, eggs are white and incubation lasts about 32 days. After 18-25 days the fledglings leave the nest.

Range Map

Snowy owl range map.
Snowy owl range map.