Snowy owl

Bubo scandiacus · The snowy owl is a large, white owl that lives in the Arctic regions of North America and the Palearctic, breeding mostly on the tundra.

Also called Polar owl, White owl, Arctic owl.

Snowy owl
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Snowy owl
Photo: Michael Gäbler, CC BY-SA 3.0
Snowy owl
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderStrigiformes
FamilyStrigidae
GenusBubo
SpeciesBubo scandiacus

Where it lives

Treeless far-northern tundra; in some winters moves south to Canada, the US and Europe.

Fun facts

  • Unlike most owls, the snowy owl is often active during the day, especially in summer.
  • Snowy owls have the longest toe feathers of any owl, averaging 33.3 mm, which is much longer than the great horned owl's.
  • A snowy owl can survive extreme cold, once being recorded at minus 62.5 degrees Celsius with no obvious discomfort.
  • Snowy owls can hunt prey hidden under snow by plunging down through at least 20 cm of snow.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).