Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl facts at a glance

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Appearance and plumage

The snowy owl is one of the most striking of all owls, with mostly white plumage that camouflages it against Arctic snow. Males grow whiter with age and can become almost pure white, while females and young birds keep dark barring across the wings and body. Thick feathering extends right down to the toes, insulating the bird against extreme cold, and its bright yellow eyes sit in a rounded, earless-looking head. At around 2 kg with a wingspan of 1.2 to 1.5 m, it is a heavy, powerful bird.

Hunting and diet

Snowy owls are carnivores that depend heavily on lemmings, small Arctic rodents that can make up the bulk of their diet. A single owl may eat several lemmings a day and well over a thousand in a year when the rodents are plentiful. They also take other rodents, hares, and birds, hunting from a low perch or the ground and dropping onto prey with a swift, silent strike. Unlike most owls, the snowy owl hunts by day as well as at night, an advantage during the endless daylight of the Arctic summer.

Habitat and range

Snowy owls breed across the open Arctic tundra of North America, Greenland, and northern Eurasia, favouring treeless ground with good vantage points. In winter many move south into open country such as fields, coastlines, marshes, and airfields, terrain that echoes their bare tundra home. The distances they travel vary from year to year, and in some winters large numbers appear far south of their usual range in movements known as irruptions. They avoid dense forest, needing open ground to hunt.

Breeding and nesting

Snowy owls nest on the ground, with the female scraping a shallow hollow on a raised, snow-free mound or ridge. Clutch size is closely tied to food supply: in years when lemmings are abundant a female may lay a large clutch, but in lean years the owls may not breed at all. The female incubates the eggs and broods the chicks while the male hunts and delivers food. Both parents defend the nest fiercely against predators such as Arctic foxes.

Conservation and threats

The snowy owl is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, and its numbers are thought to be declining more steeply than once believed. Because breeding depends so heavily on lemming cycles, a warming Arctic that disrupts those cycles is a serious concern for the species. Other pressures include collisions with vehicles and power lines during winter movements and disturbance of tundra breeding grounds. Its dependence on the fragile Arctic makes it sensitive to climate change.

Did you know? Snowy Owl facts

• Snowy owls are large white owls of the Arctic tundra, active by day in summer.
• Unlike most owls, they hunt in daylight during the round-the-clock Arctic summer.
• Their numbers rise and fall with cycles of lemmings, their main prey.
• In some winters many snowy owls move far south in events called irruptions.
• Thick feathering covers even their feet against the cold.
• Snowy owls are vulnerable, with populations sensitive to Arctic change.

Diet & feeding

Snowy owls feed heavily on lemmings and other small mammals, supplemented by birds and, in winter, a broader range of prey including waterfowl.

Adaptations

• Dense plumage, including feathered feet, insulates against extreme Arctic cold.
• White camouflage conceals the owl against snow.
• Keen vision and hearing locate prey in open tundra and snow.
• A flexible hunting schedule suits the continuous daylight of Arctic summer.

Behaviour & ecology

• Snowy owls hunt from the ground or low perches across open tundra.
• Breeding success tracks lemming abundance, which varies year to year.
• They wander widely in winter, sometimes irrupting far south.
• They are largely solitary outside the breeding season.

Communication

• Males give deep hoots to advertise territory; both sexes use barks and hisses.
• Wing and body displays feature in courtship and threat.
• Calls are most frequent around the nest in the breeding season.

Habitat & range

Snowy owls breed on the open Arctic tundra of North America and Eurasia and disperse south in winter to fields, shorelines, and open country.

Ecological role

As an Arctic apex avian predator, the snowy owl regulates lemming and small-mammal populations and is an indicator of tundra ecosystem cycles.

Conservation status of the Snowy Owl

Sources & references

This guide is compiled and reviewed against established zoological and conservation references. Key sources for the Snowy Owl:

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

  Conservation status (Vulnerable) reflects the IUCN Red List category for Bubo scandiacus.

• BirdLife International (2021). Bubo scandiacus. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

  Status (Vulnerable) and population trend.

• Billerman, S. M. et al. (eds.). Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

  Arctic ecology and diet.

• Animal Diversity Web — Bubo scandiacus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

  Life history, morphology, and range.

• Global Animal Guide editorial standards

  How we research, source, review, and update every guide for accuracy.