Snowy Owl

The Snowy Owl lives in the great Arctic areas of the American and Eurasian continents, in the tundra where – in winter – the temperatures plunge to -50 °C.

Thanks to its highly insulating plumage, it can keep a body temperature of more than 36°C, even in extreme cold.

The plumage is completely white in the male and mottled in the female, which is good camouflage in its habitat while nesting.

Its eyes are as large as human eyes whereas the bird is only some 60 cm in size: its eyesight and its hearing are extremely well developed, enabling it to detect its prey from afar, even beneath snow. Like all species of owl, its eyes are fixed. Hence birds are able to turn their heads over 270°.

The Snowy Owl feeds essentially on small Arctic rodents - lemmings - that it surprises by means of silent flight. Unlike the majority of owls, the Snowy Owl also hunts during the day.

Its nest is built on the ground because up North, in the Arctic tundra, there are no more trees.