Snowy Owl Habitat

The snowy owl is also known as Bubo scandiacus, and it populates regions of Greenland, Iceland, Canada and the Northern parts of USA. Carolus Linnaeus was the first person to classify this large owl of the typical owl family, known as Strigidae. Apart from being the heaviest owl in North America, the snowy owl is also the official bird of Quebec, and it is also known by other names such as 'the Arctic Owl' or 'the Great White Owl'. The reason behind snowy owl adaptations to the cold temperatures of the Arctic Circle, is the bird's splendidly beautiful white, thick plumage, complimented by its heavily feathered feet. These features help the bird to survive the extreme cold and help it to develop a perfect camouflage in the 'whites' of its Arctic habitat.

Snowy Owl Information

Generally, the snowy owl habitat comprises places of low elevation such as those at 600 ft. However, there are some kinds which breed in mountains which lay at 3000 ft. elevation. To be specific, the habitat consists of regions with low sparse vegetation, open land usually with peaty soil covered with heather, bracken and moss, open fields, valley floors, salt and freshwater meadows, lakeshores, marshes and marine coastlines. Rarely can this bird be found in forest areas spending it's time perching in trees. It prefers living in holes which have been hollowed out. The regions of the Arctic tundra is known to be the breeding ground of the snowy owl. The habitat of the snowy owl is greatly influenced by the distribution of mammals such as lemmings and other small rodents as they make up for the primary diet of this bird. During the winter, farming areas with open fields of low stubble, marshes and dunes are mostly housed by this bird.

The snowy owl bears an immaculate white appearance (only the male), with a rounded head, black bill and brilliantly prominent yellow iris. While the male, is a virtually pure white individual, the female has a darker appearance with dusky spots. The female snowy owl never attains a complete whiteness in its lifetime. As young owls get older, they get whiter, losing their heavily barred and dark spotting. The average length of the owl is 53 - 65 cm, with a 125 - 150 cm wingspan.

Gifted with great hearing and keen eyesight capabilities, the snowy owl is known to be an efficient and opportunistic hunter. It is not difficult for this bird to track down its prey which might be barely visible under thick vegetation or snowcover. Before soaring off in pursuit, the bird waits patiently and identifies its potential prey. Once the prey comes within a proper range, this hunter lays its attack on its quarry with its sharp hooked claws. Although lemmings and other rodents are the primary food sources for this owl, it also feeds on voles, deer mice, birds, fish, amphibians, crustaceans and insects. The snowy owl's hunting does not stop only at small preys. It has also been seen to prey upon hares, muskrats, marmots, squirrels, rabbits, prairie dogs, rats, moles and birds like shorebirds, ring-necked pheasants, grouse, American coots, grebes, etc. Studies show that the snowy owl's food requirement consists of 7 - 12 mice per day. Its consumption of lemmings, per year, accounts averagely for 1600.

The snowy owl does not have many predators. However, during the nesting season when the bird has to nest on the ground by building a scrape on top of a boulder, it has to encounter arctic foxes, dogs, wolves and many avian predators. Human activities are perhaps the greatest threat to the survival of the snowy owl. However, it is protected under Canadian provincial and territorial regulations, which have ruled out activities that involves its hunting and killing.