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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