Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Color Photographs: © Corel Corp.

Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 24 inches. A large, white owl of the boreal and arctic regions of North America. Body white with black, horizontal streaking on the underside. Face all white. Head without tufts of earlike feathers.

Similar Species:  The Snowy Owl is unique.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Snowy Owl is resident or breeds in the extreme northern tundra regions of North America. The species also breeds in northern Europe and Asia.

Overwintering Range:  The species overwinters in the boreal regions of Canada and the extreme northern United States, but scattered individuals are sometimes found further south.

Habitat: The Snowy Owl is found on tundra during the breeding season. Overwintering individuals are found in marshes, fields, and other open areas.

Food:  Small mammals, almost exclusively on lemmings.

Behavior: The Snowy Owl is diurnal, unlike most of is owl cousins. Because of its dependence on wildly fluctuating lemming populations, the number of Snowy Owls varies greatly from year to year. The voice is a croak and a whistle during the breeding season. The bird is silent otherwise.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 5 to 8 white eggs. The eggs are laid in a loose nest lined with feathers, lichens, and moss on the tundra ground.