Bubo scandiacus

Snowy Owls are diurnal hunters, unusual among owl species, meaning they are active during the day, especially in the summer months. They hunt by perching and watching before swooping down on their prey, which includes lemmings, voles, and other small rodents, as well as birds. In years of rodent abundance, a single Snowy Owl can consume several lemmings a day. Their hunting territory can be vast, covering several kilometers in search of food.

The breeding season for Snowy Owls begins in May, when the tundra starts to thaw. They are ground-nesters, laying their eggs in shallow scrapes lined with feathers and down on the ground. Clutch size varies significantly, often depending on the availability of prey, with more food leading to larger clutches. Both parents protect and care for the young, with the male primarily hunting for food for the brood.

Snowy Owls have several adaptations to their cold habitat, including dense, insulating feather coverage down to their toes, a thick layer of body fat, and a relatively low surface area to volume ratio that minimizes heat loss. Adults typically have a wingspan of about 1.3 to 1.5 meters (4.3 to 4.9 feet) and weigh between 1.6 to 2.7 kg (3.5 to 6 pounds). Males are usually whiter than females, which have more dark flecks and bars on their plumage, a pattern that provides camouflage during nesting.

Snowy Owls breed in the Arctic tundra of the northernmost stretches of North America, Europe, and Asia. During winter, they can migrate southwards into the boreal forests and plains of Canada, the northern United States, and Eurasia, though their migration patterns are not fixed and largely depend on the availability of prey.

The Snowy Owl was classified as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) but has been downgraded to "Least Concern" as of the latest assessment. However, they face threats from climate change, which is expected to impact their tundra habitat and prey availability. Other threats include collisions with vehicles and power lines, illegal hunting, and accumulation of toxins in their body from prey. Conservation efforts for Snowy Owls focus on habitat protection, research on migration and ecology, and mitigating human-induced threats.