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Sunset Flight

Snowy owl have a large assortment of common names that include Arctic owls, great white owls, ghost owls, tundra ghost, harfang, Scandinavian nightbirds and highland tundra owl.

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Ready for Liftoff

Snowy owls cannot move their eyes. To see their surroundings, snowy owls rely on their highly flexible necks which are able to turn up to 270 degrees in either direction.

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Snowy Take-Off

Males are generally whiter than females. As males grow older, they get whiter. The females never become completely white - remaining brownish with darker markings.

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Close Encounter

The feathers of snowy owls have no pigment, leaving more space for air which helps them to keep warmer because air is such a good insulator.

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Kicking Up Snow

The breeding range of the snowy owl is circumpolar, ranging across the northern regions of Greenland, Scandinavia, Alaska and Canada.

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Standing Guard

Thanks in part to the thick feathers needed for insulation, snowy owls are the heaviest owl species in North America typically weighing between 3.5 to 6.5 lbs

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Wing Spread

Snowy owls swallow small prey such as lemmings whole. Indigestible parts of animals, like bones and fur, are compacted into pellets that the owls regurgitate up to 24 hours after eating.

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Snowy Flyby

Although snowy owls can reach a speed of 80 km/h (50 mp/h), they are generally more known for their silent flight rather than their high speed.

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Flaps Fully Deployed

The snowy owl wingspan ranges between 4.2 to 4.8 feet. Females are about 20% bigger than males.

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I See You

Snowy Owls are diurnal which means that unlike most other owls they hunt during the day and night. The long summer days in the Arctic means snowies have no other choice and must hunt in the daylight.

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