Snowy Owl

• Its clutch size swings sharply with the abundance of lemmings, reaching as many as 11 eggs in a boom year.
• It feeds mainly on lemmings and other small rodents, supplemented with waterbirds.
• It lives on the Arctic tundra of North America and Eurasia, moving south in winter.
• reproducciónPlumage colour varies with age and sex, and the whitest males tend to breed most successfully.
• comportamientoUnlike most owls, it also hunts by day in the Arctic, where the sun stays up for almost the whole summer.
• comportamientoIn years when Arctic lemmings are scarce, some populations move hundreds of kilometres south in search of other food, a phenomenon known as an irruption.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Open Arctic tundra while breeding, moving to open fields and coasts at more temperate latitudes in winter

Birth weight

45 grams

Size at birth

Semi-altricial, with white down on hatching

Sexual maturity

2 years

Gestation / incubation

31-34 days

Litter / clutch size

3 to 11 eggs per clutch (up to 16 in peak lemming years)

Life expectancy in captivity

Documented record of up to 28 years in captivity

Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info) · Cool Antarctica · Maryland DNR · Animalia.bio · A-Z Animals · Animal Diversity Web · Wikipedia (Snowy owl)

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.