Snowy owls live in the Arctic. They live on open land with no trees. It is called tundra.

Their nests are on the ground. Each nest is a shallow bowl scraped in the ground.

A female snowy owl lays from 3 to 11 eggs at a time. Only she sits on the eggs. This keeps them warm.

While the female sits on the eggs, the male snowy owl brings her food.

Their favorite food is the lemming. A lemming is a small mouselike animal.

Snowy owls also eat rabbits, birds and fish.

Baby snowy owls are covered in soft white down when they hatch.

The chicks leave the nest on foot. They can not fly yet.

A snowy owl has yellow eyes and a round head. Feathers cover its legs and feet. Males can be almost pure white. Females and young owls have dark spots or bars.

The thick feathers on its feet help keep them warm.

You may have heard that owls only come out at night. In fact, snowy owls often hunt in the daytime. Some sit still on a high spot and watch for food.

In winter, many snowy owls travel south to Canada and the northern United States. They live in open places. Some live on prairies, farmland, beaches and airports.

Words to know

• tundra: treeless land
• lemming: small mouselike animal
• down: soft baby feathers
• chicks: baby birds