Snowy Owl

Nyctea scandiaca

Some like it cold

Snowy owls are perfectly adapted to life in the Arctic. They can withstand temperatures as low as minus 56°C – a bird world record! And given that it never gets dark in the Arctic summer, they can also hunt during the day, which is unusual for owls.

Characteristics

  • Herkunft

    Northern Europe, North America, northern Asia

  • Lebensraum

    Mountain ranges and the open terrain of the Arctic tundra

  • Diet

    The snowy owl’s diet consists of small mammals and birds and, on rare occasions, fish and amphibians.

  • Status

    vulnerable

  • Size

    63 to 73 cm

  • Weight

    2 kg

  • Breeding period

    34 days

  • Achievable age

    up to 9 years in the wild, up to 28 years in human care

Threat Categories of IUCN

Did you know that ...

...snowy owls are rarely completely white; brown spots and lines provide good camouflage,
...they have excellent hearing,
...and climate change and increasing traffic are posing an ever-greater threat to these birds?

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Today, 1. December
9:00 - 16:30
Last admission: 15:30
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