How to Identify aSnowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus · 20.5–27.9 in (52–71 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Nearly pure white, becoming whiter with age, with a round tuftless head and bright yellow eyes.
Female
White heavily barred with dark brown, and noticeably larger than the male.
Male photo: Michael Gäbler / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Second photo: Frank Vassen / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0
Field marks
- Very large and white — unmistakable
- Round head with no ear tufts
- Bright yellow eyes in a white face
- Perches on the ground, fenceposts and rooftops in the open
Similar species
What it sounds like
Mostly silent in winter; a deep booming hoot on the breeding grounds.
Behaviour that gives it away
Hunts by day through the Arctic summer, and moves far south in irruption years when lemming numbers crash.
Habitat & range
Arctic tundra in summer; open fields, dunes, airports and shorelines in irruption winters.
When you'll see it
A winter visitor in northern, central and eastern North America.
What it eats
Lemmings and voles, plus waterfowl and other birds in winter.
Did you know?
In good lemming years a single owl may eat over 1,600 of them in a year, and irruptions south follow when that food supply collapses.
Spot one yourself?
Point your camera at any bird and Aviarist identifies it in seconds — then logs it to your life list.
Get Aviarist on Google Play
More backyard birds
_Male.jpg){kind=link}
,_Vlieland,_Netherlands.jpg){kind=link}
Other apps we make
