About Snowy Owl

Description

Snowy Owl are easily identifiable white owls. Males are nearly pure white, while females and juveniles are covered with black horizontal bars. Though hard to find snowy owls do have small ear-tufts. Snowy owls are also the heaviest owls found in Alaska, and in fact North America. Due to the thickness of their feathers, needed for insulation, snowy owls weigh around 4 pounds. Females are around 20% larger than males.

Snowy owls are silent most of the year except during breeding season.

Hedwig, from the Harry Potter series, is likely the most famous snowy owl of all history.

Diet & Habitat

Snowy Owls prefer to eat lemmings and voles, though they have been know to harvest larger prey, such as ducks. Snowy Owls migrate south out of their normal range when food is limited (known as an eruption). Recently they have been seen in the Lower 48. However their preferred range is along the Arctic/Bering coastal areas.