Snowy Owl

APPEARANCE
The ghostlike snowy owl has unmistakable white plumage that echoes its Arctic origins.

Young owls, especially males, get whiter as they get older. Females are darker than males, with dusky spotting, and never become totally white. Some elderly males do become completely white, though many retain small flecks of dusky plumage.

BEHAVIOUR
These large owls breed on the Arctic tundra, where females lay a clutch of 3 to 11 eggs. Clutch size depends upon the availability of food, and in particularly lean times a usually monogamous pair of owls may not breed at all. Parents are territorial and will defend their nests against all comers—even wolves.

Snowy owls are circumpolar, in that they live all around the northern polar region. In winter birds range much further south sometimes even as far as Bermuda and Azores.

Average lifespan in the wild: 9.5 years
Length: 52 to 71 cm
Wingspan: 1.3 to 1.5 m
Weight: 1.6 to 3 kg