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“Adult males can look almost pure white, while females keep more dark barring.”
The snowy owl is a large white Arctic owl that nests on polar tundra, hunts lemmings and birds, and sometimes irrupts south in winter when northern prey is scarce.
Bubo scandiacusStrigiformesStrigidae
Browse photographs of snowy owl across habitat, behavior, anatomy, and life stages.
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Core article
A closer look at habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, and conservation.
Bright against summer lichen or winter snow, the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) is the great white hunter of the polar tundra. This large carnivore from the typical-owl family Strigidae nests on open ground, tracks lemming cycles across the high Arctic, and — in restless winters — appears on coasts and fields far to the south, drawing crowds of birdwatchers whenever an irruption arrives.
Snowy owls belong to the genus Bubo, the same broad group that includes eagle-owls and the great horned owl. Older books list them as Nyctea scandiaca, a synonym that still labels some maps and museum labels. Modern genetics place the species firmly among Bubo, while retaining its specialized Arctic ecology.
Strigiformes (owls) evolved silent flight, forward-facing vision, and acute hearing for hunting vertebrates. Snowy owls pushed that toolbox into continuous summer daylight and wind-scoured nesting flats rather than forest cavities. Circumpolar glacial history favored birds that could nest where prey pulsed with rodent cycles and then wander when those cycles collapsed.
Adults usually measure about 20 to 28 inches (50 to 70 cm) long, with a wingspan that can approach five feet (about 1.5 m). Weight commonly falls between 3 and 6.5 pounds (1.4 to 3 kg); females average heavier than males. The body is thickly feathered for insulation, including feathered toes that grip ice and cold soil.
Plumage tells age and sex at a glance. Mature males often look nearly pure white. Females and younger birds keep more dark barring and spotting — useful camouflage on mottled summer tundra. Yellow eyes face forward beneath a rounded facial disk. Unlike many forest owls, ear tufts are absent or only suggested. Soft fringed wing feathers help quiet approach flights over open terrain.
Breeding snowy owls need open Arctic tundra: coastal plains, rolling uplands, and rocky knolls with wide views for hunting and nest defense. Their range circles the high north through Canada, Alaska, Greenland, northern Scandinavia, and Russia. Nest sites are often slightly elevated ground where snow melts early and predators can be seen approaching.
Outside the breeding season the species is nomadic. Some birds remain in the Arctic; others push south onto prairies, beaches, airports, and farmland that resemble tundra. Neighbor species on shared polar landscapes include arctic foxes, which may raid nests, and polar bears along coastal hunting grounds. In some open habitats snowy owls also overlap winter ranges with falcons such as the peregrine falcon.
Snowy owls are opportunistic sit-and-wait and low-flight hunters. Lemmings and other small rodents dominate the breeding-season menu when those prey boom. When rodents crash, the owls switch to birds — ducks, shorebirds, and other open-country species — plus hares or whatever vertebrates they can seize.
Hunting often happens in daylight because summer at high latitudes has little darkness. Keen vision and hearing help them locate prey under thin snow. Talons deliver the kill; indigestible fur and bone later return as pellets. High prey years mean more energy for large clutches; low prey years can mean skipped breeding altogether.
Adults are largely solitary outside nesting. Breeding pairs defend territories on the tundra, using aerial displays, calls, and aggressive strikes against foxes, jaegers, and human intruders that approach the nest scrape. Males may deliver food while females incubate and guard chicks.
Wintering birds often space themselves across productive fields or dunes. They perch on posts, dunes, or drifts — low lookouts rather than deep forest canopies. Flight is strong and buoyant for covering open ground. Aggression toward other raptors appears when hunting territories or carcasses overlap.
Snowy owls nest on the ground in a scraped hollow lined with scant plant material and feathers. Clutch size tracks lemming abundance and may range from a few eggs to more than ten in exceptional years. Incubation lasts roughly a month, and chicks hatch covered in darkish down that later gives way to barred juvenile feathers.
Both parents feed the brood. Young leave the nest area before perfect flight and continue begging nearby while practicing short hops and hunts. Survival through the first winter is difficult; collisions, starvation, and inexperience claim many birds. Those that mature may live a decade or longer in the wild, and longer still in human care.
(Population and conservation trend data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species)
The snowy owl is classified as Vulnerable, reflecting evidence of a smaller global population and decline over recent generations. Arctic warming can disrupt prey cycles and nesting habitat. On southern wintering grounds, vehicles, wires, aircraft, and secondary poisoning create additional mortality.
Conserving intact tundra, reducing winter hazards, and supporting circumpolar monitoring are central to keeping this emblematic polar owl widespread. Because the species wanders across national borders, protection works best when Arctic breeding grounds and temperate winter habitats are treated as one linked system.
Adult males can look almost pure white, while females keep more dark barring.
Snowy owls often hunt in daylight because Arctic summers have little night.
They nest on the ground on open tundra instead of in tree holes.
Lemming booms can trigger unusually large owl broods.
Some winters bring irruptions of hungry birds far south of the Arctic.
The older scientific synonym *Nyctea scandiaca* still appears on many range maps.
Select a question to reveal the answer.
The snowy owl (*Bubo scandiacus*) is a large white owl in the typical-owl family Strigidae. It is adapted to polar tundra and is one of the most northerly breeding owls on Earth.
They breed on Arctic tundra across Canada, Alaska, Greenland, northern Europe, and Russia. In winter some stay north while others move into open fields, coasts, and prairies farther south.
Snowy owls are carnivores. Lemmings and other small rodents are staple prey, but they also take birds, hares, and other animals when rodents are scarce.
White plumage camouflages them against snow and pale Arctic ground. Heavy feathering also insulates against extreme cold, including feathers on their feet.
Snowy owls are Arctic ground-nesters that often hunt by day. The great horned owl is a more widespread forest hunter with ear tufts and darker plumage.
They are listed as Vulnerable. Recent estimates suggest a smaller global population and ongoing declines linked to Arctic change, prey shifts, and human hazards on winter grounds.
Yes. Continuous Arctic summer daylight forces daytime hunting, and many wintering birds remain active in light while scanning fields for rodents.
A baby snowy owl is called a chick (or owlet). Chicks hatch in open-ground nests and are fed by both parents until they can fly and hunt.
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