![]() To defend his territory from another Snowy Owl, a male lowers his head and sticks it forward, extending his wings and raising the feathers on his neck and back to seem bigger. Then he descends to the ground with wings flapping or held in a "V." He drops the prey on the ground, stands erect, then lowers his head and fans his tail as the female approaches. First the male rises into the air with exaggerated wingbeats in an undulating flight, holding a lemming in his bill or talons. ![]() On their breeding grounds, male Snowy Owls execute a fascinating mating display. If successful, they’ll down the rodent headfirst in a single gulp. When they hunt, they use extraordinary vision and hearing to draw a bead on their prey-maybe a vole scurrying beneath the snow-and then fly, or even run, over to pounce on it. They sit still in the same spot for hours, occasionally swiveling their head or leaning forward and blinking their big, yellow eyes to get a closer look at something. Wet and blind (eyes usually open by day 5) within hours a Snowy Owl hatchling is a little white fluff ball of downy feathers. The process takes a few days, and the owls may reuse the nest site for many years. The Snowy Owl female builds the nest, scraping out a shallow hollow on the bare ground and shaping it by pressing her body into the depression. They prefer slight, windswept rises that will be dry and blown free of snow. It is thought that the male selects the territory, and the female chooses the nest site within the territory. On both their breeding and wintering grounds, their diet can range widely to include rodents, rabbits, hares, squirrels, weasels, wading birds, seabirds, ducks, grebes, and geese. Snowy Owls are also one of the most agile owls, able to catch small birds on the fly. Sometimes they’ll switch to ptarmigan and waterfowl. Snowy Owls mainly eat small mammals, particularly lemmings, which at times on the tundra may be all these birds eat. On their wintering grounds they’ll also perch atop a fencepost, hay bale, building, telephone pole, grain elevator-anywhere with a good view. Because they often sit right on the ground to hunt, they prefer rolling terrain where they can find a vantage to survey the surrounding area. For example, greater and lesser snow geese ( Chen caerulescens) that nest near snowy owls seem to be protected from other predators.Whether the tundra or the Great Plains, an airport field or beach dunes, Snowy Owls like treeless places and wide-open spaces. Some species may benefit by nesting near snowy owl nests. Snowy owls also compete with many other species for lemmings and other prey. For example, one owl may kill more than 1,600 lemmings in one year. They affect the populations of animals that they eat. Snowy Owls are carnivorous and hunt by perching above the ground and watching for prey over a large area by turning their heads so they can see everything in 360 degrees. In the south, they are frequently seen in villages and urban centers, as well as in marshes and on dunes. Prime winter habitat in the Great Plains is similar to their breeding habitat. When food is scarce, snowy owls travel south to warmer climates in winter. They may also inhabit lowland salt grass meadows and poorly drained freshwater wet meadows, especially for hunting. Snowy owls inhabit open tundra, usually from sea level to less than 300 m elevation. Snowy owls have yellow eyes and their legs and feet are covered in white feathers that protect them from the cold weather. Young snowy owls are generally darker and more heavily marked than adults. Females tend to have more markings than males, which may become nearly completely white as they age. Snowy owls are predominantly white with dusky brown spots and bars. Females are larger and heavier than the males, weighing 1550-1600 grams, compared to males which weigh 1450-1500 grams. If you see this species please take a photo (if you can), note where you are and either upload it to iNaturalist or send it straight to the Conservation Data Centre (CDC) by downloading a Field Observation Form for animals or by using your own method or reporting, and sending it to us: owls are the largest bird species in the arctic, 63-73cm/25-29in long with an average wingspan of 170cm/67in. This species is one of the 'track and watch' species in the Yukon as it is rare, threatened or both.
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