Let us find out how a snowy owl lives. It has yellow eyes and a round head. It is one of the largest owls in the world. An adult snowy owl measures 20 to 28 inches long and weighs about 3.5 to 6.5 pounds. Adult males can be almost pure white. Females and young owls have dark spots or bars.
Snowy owls nest on the tundra in the far north of the world. The tundra is open, treeless land. A snowy owl often hunts by sitting still on a high spot and watching for food. Snowy owls often hunt in the daytime.
A snowy owl's hearing is sharp enough to find animals hiding under snow. Feathers cover its legs and feet, and the thick feathers on its feet help keep them warm.
The snowy owl's favorite food is the lemming, a small mouselike animal. A snowy owl may eat about 1,600 lemmings in a year. Besides lemmings, snowy owls eat rabbits, other rodents, birds and fish.
A snowy owl lays more eggs in years when there is plenty of food, or prey. Snowy owls begin laying their eggs in May. A female lays from 3 to 11 eggs at a time. Her nest is a shallow bowl scraped in the ground, on a small rise or mound on the open tundra.
Only the female sits on the eggs to keep them warm. She sits on them for about a month. While she sits, the male snowy owl brings her food. Baby snowy owls are covered in soft white down when they hatch. The chicks leave the nest on foot, before they can fly.
In winter, many snowy owls travel south to Canada and the northern United States. They live in open places such as prairies, farmland, beaches and airports.
Words to know
- tundra: treeless land
- lemming: small mouselike animal
- prey: food animals
- rise: small hill
The short version
Snowy owls live on the open tundra in the far north of the world. A snowy owl often hunts by sitting still on a high spot and watching for food. Its favorite food is the lemming, a small mouselike animal, and it may eat about 1,600 lemmings in a year.
Quick facts
- Snowy owls nest on the tundra in the far north of the world.
- A snowy owl's hearing is sharp enough to find animals hiding under snow.
- A snowy owl may eat about 1,600 lemmings in a year.
- A female snowy owl lays from 3 to 11 eggs at a time.
- Snowy owls begin laying their eggs in May.
What do snowy owls eat?
A snowy owl's favorite food is the lemming, a small mouselike animal. A snowy owl may eat about 1,600 lemmings in a year. Besides lemmings, snowy owls eat rabbits, other rodents, birds and fish.
Where do snowy owls nest?
Snowy owls nest on the ground, on small rises or mounds on the open tundra. A snowy owl's nest is a shallow bowl scraped in the ground. Snowy owls begin laying their eggs in May.
