Snowy owl

The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. These birds live in the cold Arctic areas of both North America and the Palearctic, where they breed on the open tundra. Unlike most owls, snowy owls are often active during the day, especially in the summer.

Snowy owls are special because they are one of the largest owl species and the only owl with mostly white feathers. Males are usually a pure white, while females have more brown spots. These owls hunt both during the day and night, and they depend on small animals like lemmings to raise their families. However, when lemmings are hard to find, they can eat many other things, such as small mammals, water birds, and even carrion.

Snowy owls do not stay in one place. They move around a lot, sometimes traveling far south when food is scarce. Recently, scientists have noticed that the number of snowy owls is getting smaller. While there were once over 200,000 snowy owls, today there may be fewer than 100,000, possibly because of changes in the environment linked to global warming.

Taxonomy

The snowy owl was first described by the scientist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It was originally named Strix scandiaca. The name Bubo means "horned owl" in Latin, and scandiacus refers to Scandinavia.

Genetic studies show that snowy owls are closely related to other owls called horned owls, especially the great horned owl. They share a common ancestor and have similar traits, but snowy owls have a unique genetic makeup that sets them apart. Scientists continue to discuss whether snowy owls should be classified in their own genus or grouped with other Bubo owls.

Description

The snowy owl is mostly white, often looking like a pale rock or a lump of snow. They have bright yellow eyes and usually lack ear tufts, though very short tufts can sometimes be seen, especially in females on the nest. Females tend to have more dark spots and bars than males, making them appear duskier.

Snowy owls are large, with females generally larger than males. They have thickly feathered white toes and black claws. Their flight is steady and direct, and they can be quite agile when chasing prey. Despite having some noise-canceling feathers, their flight can sometimes be heard at close range. Their eyes are large but not as acute for night vision as some other owls, though they can see well from far distances.

Distribution and habitat

The snowy owl lives in the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia, primarily breeding on the tundra. These owls are nomadic and can sometimes breed farther south if their food supply changes. Their breeding range includes parts of Alaska, northern Canada, and northern Russia, with some rare sightings in places like Scotland and Iceland.

During winter, snowy owls often migrate south to areas with open landscapes such as grasslands, agricultural fields, and even airports. They prefer flat, open areas that remind them of their Arctic home. Some snowy owls have been seen as far south as Georgia, Texas, and even Hawaii during years when they move farther south than usual. These owls also live near coasts and bodies of water, where they can hunt for food.

Behavior

Snowy owls are active both during the day and night, depending on the season. In the Arctic summer, they are most active during twilight. In winter, they are often seen resting during the day and become active around nightfall. These owls are well adapted to cold temperatures, able to withstand conditions as low as minus 62.5 degrees Celsius.

Snowy owls usually walk or run on the ground and can fly with strong wingbeats. They sometimes perch on rocks, poles, or buildings. They are capable of sudden quick movements when hunting. These owls may fight with each other occasionally, but they generally stay alone or in small groups during winter. Their movements in search of food can take them far from their nesting areas.

Diet and hunting

Snowy owls hunt at many times of the day or night, but they avoid hunting during very bad weather. In the summer, they hunt during what would be night in other places. These owls catch their food on the ground and often swallow small animals whole. They later spit out things like bones or feathers that they cannot digest.

Snowy owls are special because they hunt during the day and from the ground, unlike many other owls. They can see their prey from far away and often watch from a high spot before moving quickly to catch it. They eat a variety of animals, including small mammals like lemmings, birds, and sometimes even other predators. In different places and seasons, their diet changes based on what food is available.

During summer, lemmings are a major part of their diet, but they also eat birds and other small animals when lemmings are scarce. In winter, they eat more birds and other types of prey, depending on where they are. Snowy owls are adaptable and can find food in many different environments, from Arctic tundra to places far from their usual homes.

Breeding

Snowy owls usually mate for one breeding season. In some places, like Baffin Island, one male has been seen mating with two females. These owls pick out a spot in the open tundra to make their nest, often choosing a spot that is dry and easy to see from far away.

They lay their eggs on the ground, usually from early May to early June. A typical nest might have around seven to nine eggs, though some nests have had up to sixteen! The female sits on the eggs while the male brings food. The eggs hatch after about thirty-two days, and the baby owls start learning to fly after about six weeks.

Longevity

The snowy owl can live a long life for a bird. In captivity, they can reach ages of 25 to 30 years, while in the wild, they usually live around 10 years. One snowy owl was banded in Massachusetts and found 23 years and 10 months later in Montana.

While it was once thought that snowy owls often died from starvation, studies show that many survive the winter. Some return to the same areas each year. Most snowy owls found dead in the northern Great Plains died from accidents, such as hitting cars or getting electrocuted, rather than starvation. Some owls even survived injuries and healed.

Status

The snowy owl's population depends on the availability of food, especially lemmings. When lemmings are abundant, snowy owls can seem plentiful, but their numbers are hard to estimate because they move around a lot. In Scandinavia, the population has always been small, with only a few pairs in countries like Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

Recently, Sweden proposed classifying the snowy owl as “extinct” there because no nesting has been observed since 2015. However, in other areas like European Russia and Greenland, there are still some snowy owls. Overall, the global population was once thought to be around 200,000–290,000, but newer studies suggest there may be only 14,000–28,000 mature breeding pairs today. Because of this sharp decline, the snowy owl was uplisted to “vulnerable” in 2017.

Human activities and climate change pose serious threats to snowy owls. Collisions with airplanes, vehicles, and buildings, as well as hunting and trapping, have reduced their numbers. Climate change is also a major concern, as it affects lemming populations, which are the owl’s main food source. Loss of sea ice and changes in weather patterns further challenge their survival.

In popular culture

The snowy owl appears in the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling, and the films based on them. In the stories, a female snowy owl named Hedwig is the pet of the main character. Some people worried that the movies might lead to more people buying snowy owls as pets, but there wasn’t proof that this actually happened.

In Quebec, the snowy owl is an important symbol. In French, it is called harfang des neiges.