Snowy Owl (Bubo Scandiacus)

Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Distribution: Native to Arctic regions in North America and Eurasia
Habitat: Treeless, open environments, particularly the Arctic tundra for breeding and coastal areas, prairies and agricultural fields for wintering.
Diet: Small mammals (lemmings and voles making up most of their diet), birds and occasionally fish
Size: 53-71cm / 21-28 inches (head to tail)
Weight: 1.1 - 3kg / 2.4 - 6lbs
Activity Cycle: Diurnal
Threats: Mainly habitat loss and degradation from climate change and human development, also often killed from collisions with vehicles, wind turbines and air craft, as well as indirectly killed from rodenticide poisonings.

The snowy owl is a large, white eagle owl found across the Arctic tundra, known for its nomadic behaviour in response to prey availability. Unlike most owls, they are diurnal, hunting during the day or twilight periods. They are the only owl species that has predominantly white plumage, with dark brown speckles. Males are often less marked than females, some may even be pure white; whereas females often have consistent darker brown speckling across their plumage and are usually up to 30% larger than the males! The snowy owl has a significantly varied diet that is often dependent on local prey availability. It takes lemming, rabbit, shrews and voles, as well as birds which can include geese, grouse and seabirds and other birds of prey. Unusually for an owl, the Snowy will also eat carrion if prey is scarce. Snowy owls are nomadic as they follow prey availabilty, rarely breeding at the same locations or with the same mates annually, and may even forego breeding season if prey is scarce.

The last record of Snowy Owls breeding in the UK was in 1967 on the island of Fetlar in the Shetlands but this success only lasted until 1975 when the male disappeared leaving only a few females. Vagrant Snowy Owls do occasionally turn up in various parts of northern Scotland and have been sighted as far south as Lincolnshire.

Did you Know? The snowy owl's dense plumage (they have roughly 8,000 feathers), with feathers extending to its toes, great bulk and compact shape enable it to survive extremely low temperatures, down to -40°C! They are also known as Polar owls, Artic owls or Great White Owls in some areas.

Our Snowy Owl is called K2!

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