snowy owl

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Male snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca).

Female snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca).

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snowy owl

bird

Also known as: Nyctea scandiaca

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 25, 2024 • Article History

News •

Snowy owl rescued from car grille by Minnesota woman who saved another bird hours earlier • Dec. 25, 2024, 5:40 PM ET (AP)

Female snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca). — Female snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca).

Summer survival challenges in the Russian Arctic — Summer survival challenges in the Russian ArcticArctic foxes and snowy owls struggling to find food in the Siberian Arctic.
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snowy owl, (Nyctea scandiaca), white or barred, brown-and-white bird of prey of the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes). It inhabits the Arctic tundra and sometimes wanders southward in Europe, Asia, and North America. Snowy owls are about 60 cm (about 2 feet) long and have broad wings and a round head without ear tufts. They eat small mammals (such as hares and lemmings) and birds and nest on the ground in the open.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.