D Woodland · Wave 2

Snowy Owl

Bubo scandiacus

Arctic winter visitor that draws crowds; strong December/January calendar pick.

At a glance

Size: Length about 24 in (61 cm); wingspan about 4 ft 7 in (1.4 m). (Audubon…
Habitat: Prairies, fields, marshes, beaches, dunes; in summer, arctic tundra. Breeds on tundra, from just north of treeline to the northernmost land. Prefers very open…
Diet: Varied, includes lemmings, plus other mammals and birds. In Arctic, may feed almost exclusively on lemmings when these are available. Otherwise, feeds on wide…

Range: Migration not well understood. Nomadic in breeding season, concentrating where prey abundant. Numbers moving south in winter quite variable from year to year,…

Nesting: In many regions of Arctic, may breed mainly in years when lemmings are abundant, failing to nest at all when lemmings are scarce. Male owl defends territory with deep hooting in early spring. In…

Hear this bird

General call / song: Usually silent; hoarse croak and shrill whistle on breeding grounds. Call Pattern Flat Call Type Hoot, Rattle

Mating / display: Courtship behaviors described on Audubon Nesting section; distinct mating call often not separately labeled.

Buttons open trusted public pages with playable recordings. We link out — we do not host or embed the audio.

Play calls on All About Birds Species overview Audubon field guide

How to know it

Habitat: Prairies, fields, marshes, beaches, dunes; in summer, arctic tundra. Breeds on tundra, from just north of treeline to the northernmost…
Diet: Varied, includes lemmings, plus other mammals and birds. In Arctic, may feed almost exclusively on lemmings when these are available.…
Nesting: In many regions of Arctic, may breed mainly in years when lemmings are abundant, failing to nest at all when lemmings are scarce. Male owl…

Behavior

Contact/alarm notes included in Audubon Songs and Calls summary where listed; see Cornell /sounds for labeled examples.

Fun facts

Arctic winter visitor that draws crowds; strong December/January calendar pick.

Companion page for the Birds Coloring Calendar series by R. J. D. B. Fact summaries are original educational text or short paraphrases with source links. Call playback via link to All About Birds / Cornell Lab. Re-test QR codes on a phone before final print. Not affiliated with Cornell Lab or Audubon.