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Nyctea scandiaca
Habitat: Open tundra and lowland salt grass meadows/Coastal Alaska, Canada and Greenland. They can also be found in northern Scandinavia, Russia, southern Novaya Zemlya and northern Siberia. During the winter, snowy owls can be found in Canada and the northern United States.
Diet: lemmings and mice.
Reproduction: Snowy Owls breed from May to September. Breeding pairs may be establishes before reaching the breeding ground. Males establish a territory, while the females select a nest site. Females will lay clutches of 3 to 11 white eggs. Both parents feed their young for 5 to 7 weeks after hatching.
Behavior: Snowy Owls are generally solitary and territorial. Males will defend their territory with a variety of calls. Females establish territories only in the winter, before they fly north in the spring. About every four years, snowy owl populations will irrupt into the United States, presumably in search of food. They communicate to each other mainly using posture or body language. Unlike a lot of owls, the snowy owl is diurnal.
Physical Description: Snowy owls are the largest bird species in the arctic, 63 to 73 cm long with an average wingspan of 170 cm. Females are larger and heavier than the males, weighing 1550 to 1600g, compared to males which weigh 1450 to 1500g. Snowy owls are predominantly white with dusky brown spots and bars. Females tend to have more markings than males, which may become nearly completely white as they age. Young snowy owls are generally darker and more heavily marked than adults. Snowy owls have yellow eyes and their legs and feet are covered in white feathers that protect them from the cold weather.
Conservation Status: Common
Fun Facts:
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One owl may consume more than 1600 lemmings in a single year |
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Snowy Owls can turn their heads a full 270 degrees |
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If they catch more prey than they are able to eat, they are known to store the extra food on a nearby perch. |
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The oldest snowy owl in captivity is 28 years old. |
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