🦉 Great horned owl vs Snowy owl 🦉
The snowy owl is a bit bigger than the great horned owl. They are about the same.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦉 Great horned owl | 🦉 Snowy owl |
|---|---|---|
| Size The snowy owl is a bit bigger than the great horned owl. | 18 to 25 in46 to 63 cm1 | 25 to 29 in63 to 73 cm2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight They are about the same. | 2.2 to 3.8 lb998 g to 1.7 kg3 | 3.2 to 3.5 lb1.5 to 1.6 kg2 |
| Lives The great horned owl usually lives about one and a half times as long as the snowy owl. | 13 to 15 years13 to 15 years3 | 9 years9 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks | lemmings and mice, and sometimes rabbits, seabirds and fish |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America | open Arctic tundra, with some flying south in winter |
Which one? Great horned owl or snowy owl
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the great horned owl or the snowy owl yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
10 things to know about Great horned owl vs Snowy owl
- The great horned owl: Its "horns" are just feathers, and it can turn its head far around.
- The snowy owl: A big white owl of the open Arctic tundra.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The snowy owl is a bit bigger than the great horned owl: 2 against 1.
- They are about the same. That is 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the snowy owl.
- The great horned owl usually lives about one and a half times as long as the snowy owl. Usual lifespans: 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the snowy owl.
- Both eat meat. The great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks; the snowy owl eats lemmings and mice, and sometimes rabbits, seabirds and fish.
- The great horned owl lives in forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America. The snowy owl lives in open Arctic tundra, with some flying south in winter. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The great horned owl: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The snowy owl: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🦉 Great horned owl
- Its wings make almost no sound.
- It coughs up a pellet of fur and bones after a meal.
- It often nests in an old nest that a hawk or crow built.
🦉 Snowy owl
- A snowy owl lives on open tundra in the Arctic.
- In winter some snowy owls fly south when food is scarce.
- Its main foods are lemmings and mice.
Questions kids ask about Great horned owl and Snowy owl
Which is bigger, great horned owl or snowy owl?
The snowy owl is a bit bigger than the great horned owl: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, great horned owl or snowy owl?
They are about the same. That is 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the snowy owl.
Which lives longer, great horned owl or snowy owl?
The great horned owl usually lives about one and a half times as long as the snowy owl. Usual lifespans: 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the snowy owl.
What do great horned owl and snowy owl eat?
Both eat meat. The great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks; the snowy owl eats lemmings and mice, and sometimes rabbits, seabirds and fish.
Where do great horned owl and snowy owl live?
The great horned owl lives in forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America. The snowy owl lives in open Arctic tundra, with some flying south in winter. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, great horned owl or snowy owl?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/great-horned-owl-vs-snowy-owl
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Bryce Canyon, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Nyctea scandiaca (snowy owl), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, Golden Spike, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.