24 Facts About Snowy owl

Snowy owl, known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family.

The snowy owl lays a very large clutch of eggs, often from about 5 to 11, with the laying and hatching of eggs considerably staggered.

Snowy owl is a nomadic bird, rarely breeding at the same locations or with the same mates on an annual basis and often not breeding at all if prey is unavailable.

Snowy owl was one of the many bird species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, where it was given the binomial name Strix scandiaca.

Until recently, the snowy owl was regarded as the sole member of a distinct genus, as Nyctea scandiaca, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data shows that it is very closely related to the horned owls in the genus Bubo and the species is thusly often considered inclusive with that genus.

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Furthermore, the snowy owl appears to have a similar level of genetic diversity as other European owls.

Toes of the snowy owl are extremely thickly feathered white, while the claws are black.

The conspicuously notched primaries of the snowy owl appear to give an advantage over similar owls in long-distance flight and more extensive flapping flight.

The snowy owl does have some of the noise-canceling serrations and comb-like wing feathers that render the flight of most owls functionally silent, but they have fewer than most related Bubo owls.

Also compared to an eagle-owl, the snowy owl has a relatively short decurved rostrum, a proportionately greater length to the interorbital roof and a much longer sclerotic ring surrounding the eyes while the anterior opening are the greatest known in any owl.

Snowy owl is certainly one of the most unmistakable owls in the world.

Snowy owl differ in their calls from other Bubo owls, with a much more barking quality to their version of a hooting song.

Snowy owl is typically found in the northern circumpolar region, where it makes its summer home north of latitude 60° north though sometimes down to 55 degrees north.

In January 2009, a snowy owl appeared in Spring Hill, Tennessee, the first reported sighting in the state since 1987.

The snowy owl has perhaps the second lowest thermal conduction to the plumage on average of any bird after only the Adelie penguin and rivals the best insulated mammals, such as Dall sheep and Arctic fox, as the best insulated polar creature.

Snowy owl mothers have been observed to preen their young in the wild, while pairs in captivity have been observed to allopreen.

The snowy owl likely covers more ground than almost any other owl in movements but many complex individual variations are known in movements, and they often do not take the traditional north–south direction that might be assumed.

Snowy owl's biology is closely tied to the availability of lemmings.

Fish are rarely taken anywhere but the snowy owl has been known to prey upon Arctic char and lake trout .

Snowy owl is in many ways a very unique owl and differs from other species of owl in its ecological niche.

When it goes south to winter outside of the Arctic, the snowy owl has a potential to interact with a number of additional predators.

Unlike other northerly breeding raptorial birds, the snowy owl is not known to nest on cliffs and the like, so do not enter into direct competition with eagles, falcons, ravens or other Bubo owls when nesting to the relative south.

Snowy owl parents have been seen to aggressively attacked glaucous gulls, arctic fox and dogs in breeding ground in Utqiagvik.

The snowy owl seems to markedly inconsistent in regard to breeding every year, often taking at least up to two years between attempts and sometimes as much as nearly a decade.