Snowy owl

The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large, white owl

of the typical owl family. They are native to Arctic regions in North America and Eurasia. Younger snowy owls
start with darker plumage, which turns lighter as they get
older. Males are almost all white, while females have
more ecks of gray plumage.

Taxonomy

The snowy owl was one of the many bird species originally described by Linnaeus in the landmark 1758 10th
edition of his Systema Naturae, where it was given the
binomial name of Strix scandiaca.[2] Until recently, it
was regarded as the sole member of a distinct genus, as
Nyctea scandiaca, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence
data (Olsen et al. 2002) shows that it is very closely related to the horned owls in the genus Bubo. However,
some authorities debate this classication, still preferring
Nyctea.[3]

Description

This yellow-eyed, black-beaked white bird is easily recognizable. It is 5271 cm (2028 in) long, with a 125
150 cm (4959 in) wingspan. Also, these owls can weigh
anywhere from 1.6 to 3 kg (3.5 to 6.6 lb).[4] It is one of
the largest species of owl and, in North America, is on
average the heaviest owl species. The adult male is virtually pure white, but females and young birds have some
dark spots; the young are heavily barred, and dark spotting may even predominate. Its thick plumage, heavily
feathered taloned feet, and colouration render the snowy
owl well-adapted for life north of the Arctic Circle.

Plate 121 of the Birds of America by John James Audubon, depicting the snowy owl

latitude 60 north. However, it is a particularly nomadic

bird, and because population uctuations in its prey
species can force it to relocate, it has been known to breed
at more southerly latitudes. During the last glacial, there
was a Central Europe Bubo scandiacus gallicus, but no
modern subspecies are recognized.

This species of owl nests on the ground, building a scrape

on top of a mound or boulder. A site with good visibility is chosen, such as the top of a mound with ready access to hunting areas and a lack of snow. Gravel bars and
abandoned eagle nests may be used. The female scrapes
a small hollow before laying the eggs. Breeding occurs
in May to June, and depending on the amount of prey
available, clutch sizes range from 3 to 11 eggs, which
are laid singly, approximately every other day over the
course of several days. Hatching takes place approxi3 Ecology
mately ve weeks after laying, and the pure white young
are cared for by both parents. Although the young hatch
The snowy owl is typically found in the northern circum- asynchronously, with the largest in the brood sometimes
polar region, where it makes its summer home north of 10 to 15 times as heavy as the smallest, there is little

Snowy owl calls are varied, but the alarm call is a barking,
almost quacking krek-krek; the female also has a softer
mewling pyee-pyee or prek-prek. The song is a deep repeated gahw. They may also clap their beak in response
to threats or annoyances. While called clapping, it is believed this sound may actually be a clicking of the tongue,
not the beak.

5 HUNTING AND DIET

in the winter of 2011/2012, when thousands of snowy
owls were spotted in various locations across the United
States.[10] This was then followed by an even larger mass
southern migration in 2013/2014 with the rst snowy
owls seen in Florida for decades.[11][12]
In December 2014, a snowy owl appeared in Berkeley
Township, New Jersey at Island Beach State Park.[13]

5 Hunting and diet

Young owl on the tundra at Barrow, Alaska. Snowy owls lose

their black feathers with age, though particular females retain
some.

sibling conict and no evidence of siblicide. Both the

male and the female defend the nest and their young from
predators, sometimes by distraction displays. Males may
mate with two females which may nest about a kilometre
apart.[5] Some individuals stay on the breeding grounds Snowy owl carries its kill, an American black duck, in the pool
while others migrate.
in Biddeford Pool, Maine, at low tide.

Range

Snowy owls nest in the Arctic tundra of the northernmost

stretches of Alaska, Canada, and Eurasia. They winter
south through Canada and northern Eurasia, with irruptions occurring further south in some years. Snowy owls
are attracted to open areas like coastal dunes and prairies
that appear somewhat similar to tundra. They have been
reported as far south as the American states of Texas,
Georgia, the American Gulf states, southernmost Russia,
and northern China. In the Late Pleistocene the range
expanded southward to Bulgaria (80,00016,000 years,
Kozarnika Cave, W Bulgaria).[6]
In February 1886, a snowy owl landed on the rigging of
the Nova Scotia steamship Ulunda on the edge of the
Grand Banks, over 600 kilometres from the nearest land.
It was captured and later preserved at the Nova Scotia
Museum.[7]

This powerful bird relies primarily on lemmings and other

small rodents for food during the breeding season, but at
times of low prey density, or during the ptarmigan nesting period, they may switch to favoring juvenile ptarmigan. They are opportunistic hunters and prey species may
vary considerably, especially in winter. They feed on a
wide variety of small mammals such as meadow voles
and deer mice, but will take advantage of larger prey,
frequently following traplines to nd food. Some of the
larger mammal prey includes hares, muskrats, marmots,
squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, prairie dogs, rats, moles and
entrapped furbearers. Birds preyed upon include ptarmigan, other ducks, geese, shorebirds, pheasants, grouse,
coots, grebes, gulls, songbirds, and even other raptors,
including other owl species. Most of the owls hunting
is done in the sit and wait style; prey may be captured
on the ground or in the air, or sh may be snatched o the
surface of bodies of water using their sharp talons. Each
bird must capture roughly 7 to 12 mice per day to meet its
food requirement and can eat more than 1,600 lemmings
per year. Unlike most owls that hunt at night, snowy owls
are diurnal and hunt during the day and night.[14]

Between 1967 and 1975, snowy owls bred on the remote

island of Fetlar in the Shetland Isles north of Scotland.
Females summered as recently as 1993, but their status Snowy owls, like many other birds, swallow their small
in the British Isles is now that of a rare winter visitor to prey whole. Strong stomach juices digest the esh, while
Shetland, the Outer Hebrides and the Cairngorms.[8]
the indigestible bones, teeth, fur, and feathers are comIn January 2009, a snowy owl appeared in Spring Hill, pacted into oval pellets that the bird regurgitates 18 to 24
Tennessee, the rst reported sighting in the state since hours after feeding. Regurgitation often takes place at
1987.[9] Also notable is the mass southern migration regular perches, where dozens of pellets may be found.

3
Biologists frequently examine these pellets to determine
the quantity and types of prey the birds have eaten. When
large prey are eaten in small pieces, pellets will not be
produced.[15]

Natural threats

International Union for Conservation of Nature.

trieved 26 November 2013.

Re-

[2] Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per Regna Tria

Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum
Characteribus, Dierentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I.
Editio decima, reformata (in Latin). Holmiae: (Laurentii Salvii). p. 92.
[3] Potapov, Eugene and Sale, Richard (2013). The Snowy
Owl. T&APoyser. ISBN 978-0713688177.
[4] National Geographic Society. Snowy Owl. National
Geographic.
[5] Watson, Adam (1957).
The behaviour, breeding
and food-ecology of the Snowy Owl Nycea scandiaca". Ibis 99 (3): 419462. doi:10.1111/j.1474919X.1957.tb01959.x.
[6] Boev, Z. (1998). First fossil record of the Snowy Owl
Nyctea scandiaca (Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves: Strigidae) from
Bulgaria. Historia naturalis bulgarica 9: 7986.
[7] Conlin, Dan (2 October 2013) An Owl Oddity, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
[8] Hope of rst owl chicks in years, BBC News. 13 May
2008.

Egg, Collection Museum Wiesbaden

Although snowy owls have few predators, the adults are

very watchful and are equipped to defend against any kind
of threat towards them or their ospring. During the nesting season, the owls regularly defend their nests against
Arctic foxes, corvids and swift-ying jaegers; as well as
dogs, gray wolves and avian predators. Males defend the
nest by standing guard nearby while the female incubates
the eggs and broods the young. Both sexes attack approaching predators, dive-bombing them and engaging in
distraction displays to draw the predator away from a nest.

[9] Snowy Owl appears in Middle Tenn. The Tennessean.

21 January 2009.
[10] Zuckerman, Laura (28 January 2012) Snowy owls soar
south from Arctic in rare mass migration. Reuters
[11] Leung, Marlene Leung. Snowy owl invasion: Birds spotted as far south as Florida. CTV News. Retrieved 12
January 2014.
[12] Schwartz, John. SInux of Snowy Owls Thrills and Bafes Birders. New York Times. Retrieved 31 January
2014.
[13] Snowy owl search causing increased dune trampling at

Island Beach State Park, ocials say. NJ.com.

They also compete directly for lemmings and other prey
with several predators, including rough-legged hawks, [14] Snowy Owl (Nyctea Scandia)".
anigolden eagles, peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons, jaegers,
mals.nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic.
glaucous gulls, short-eared owls, great horned owls,
Eurasian eagle owls, common ravens, wolves, Arctic [15] Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus, formerly Nyctea scandiaca. owlpages.com
foxes, and ermine. They are normally dominant over
other raptors although may (sometimes fatally) lose in [16] ADW: Nyctea scandiaca: Information. Animaldiverconicts to large raptors such as other Bubo owls, golden
sity.ummz.umich.edu. Retrieved on 19 October 2010.
eagles and the smaller but much faster peregrine falcons.
Some species nesting near snowy owl nests, such as the
snow goose, seem to benet from the incidental protec8 External links
tion of snowy owls that drive competing predators out of
[16]
the area.
Free Video About Snowy Owls

References

[1] BirdLife International (2012). "Bubo scandiaca". IUCN

Red List of Threatened Species.
Version 2013.2.

Snowy owl increasingly casting its spell over North

American skies (Jan. 2015), The Guardian
Snowy Owl Species AccountCornell Lab of Ornithology