A white owl of Arctic and surrounding tundra. Some move south in winter.
Plumage differs between the sexes: females show conspicuous dark spotting, while males become whiter.
Some snowy owls spend winter on sea ice far from land. Females tracked after breeding in the Canadian Arctic used Hudson Strait, Davis Strait and Hudson Bay, linking the winter lives of these terrestrial rodent hunters with the sea.
Twelve breeding females received transmitters on Bylot Island in July 2007. Nine were tracked during the following winter and eight of these during the next. Estimated time over sea ice reached 101 days in one case, and offshore locations extended as far as 210 kilometres from the coast.
Comparing owl locations with satellite images showed that the birds were often close to patches of open water within the ice. Seabirds gather in such openings. These locations could provide avian prey, suggesting winter food resources different from those used on the summer tundra.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Canada’s 2025 assessment identifies collisions with vehicles and aircraft, electrocution and poisoning by rodenticides among the threats to snowy owls. Open airport landscapes resemble tundra and attract the birds. Recommended Canadian airport measures include live capture and relocation, and making airport habitat less attractive to owls. Reducing conflicts with human activity in wintering areas is a conservation priority.