40 Interesting & Fun Facts about Cute Snowy Owl Nobody Knows
Have you ever got the chance to give a magical glimpse at a snowy owl? Wildlife enthusiasts and birders rate this stunning bird as one of the best ones among birds. Their white feathers, yellow eyes, and large wingspan make them stand out wherever they go because of their striking appearance and captivating spirit. If you want to know more, please read this post on interesting facts about snowy owl.
Interesting Facts about Snowy Owl
Cute Snowy Owls Fun & Weird Facts
No#1: Snowy owl lives globally
Snowy Owl doesn’t live in a single region or country. Instead, they have a huge range; you may see them in North America, Canada, Japan, Florida, Texas, and many other countries.
No#2: Heavy feathers
Snowy Owls have a huge amount of features on their body that makes the body heavy beyond keeping them warm.
No#3: Weight
Due to abundant features, a normal snowy owl has a weight of 4 pounds or more. That’s why they are known as one of the heaviest North American owls.
No#4: Females are larger than males
A female snowy owl has an average height of two feet, along with 6 feet wingspan.
No#5: Lemmings are their primary food
Though snowy owls eat different types of tiny mammals and birds, they mostly love to eat lemmings. It is more common when it comes to their breeding time.
Fun Facts about Snowy Owls
No#6: Storing their own food
Snowy owls store their own food during the breeding season by creating a small nest, where they can stock around 15-20 items or more.
No#7: Feet protection
Like other body parts of snowy owls, they have ample feathers on their feet, which protect their feet from the cold Arctic climate.
No#8: Males bring the food
Male owls go out in search of food for newborn owlets, while the female stays with owlets. When it finally brings the food, it gives the food to the female owl, and it feeds the young.
No#9: Color difference between males and females
Female snowy owls have white feathers with some dark bars, but male owls are entirely white.
No#10: Hunting habit
Unlike other types of owls, snowy owls mainly hunt during the day rather than at night. However, some owls have different hunting habits based on the region and the amount of daylight.
Cool Facts about Snowy Owls
No#11: They have multiple names
Aside from having snowy owl names, they are often called Ookpik, ghost owl, white owl, Scandanavian night bird, Arctic owl, etc.
No#12: They love to fly in exposed areas
Most times, snowy owls can be seen flying open spaces like airport fields, tundra, beach dunes, or planes as it allows them to hunt easily.
Snowy Owls Facts for Kids
No#13: Baby snowy owls
Baby snowy owls spend only ten weeks with their parents. When they can fly their own and manage their own food, they leave their parent’s nest.
No#14: Outstanding visibility
Like other owls, snowy owls have incredibly keen senses and can see the smallest objects from distant places. They also have an excellent hearing sense that allows them to hunt voles even from under several inches of snow.
No#15: Aggressive behavior
Snowy owls may act aggressively when other birds try to occupy their territory — some of them even have attacked Arctic wolves.
No#16: A coordination for nest
While making a nest, the males pick a particular region, and the females select the nesting site.
No#17: They have more than one nest
Most snowy owls have more than one nest as an alternative to keep them safe during a storm or other bad weather. When the weather backs to normal, they shift to their main nest.
No#18: They make different sounds
Make different types of sounds like whistle, hiss, and hoot. Female snowy owls make high-pitched sounds while male snowy owls make harsh and loud sounds. However, they merely make any sound during nonbreeding seasons.
No#19: They have bristle on the beak
Snowy owls have bristles on their beaks, which help them to know the presence of nearby objects easily.
Weird Facts about Owls
No#20: They fly for miles
When mating season comes, male snowy owls fly from one area to another to find their mating partners.
No#21: They use the same nest for years
Snowy owls make their nest from dead lemmings, and they prefer to use the same nesting site for years without changing it.
No#22: Nest locates on the ground
Unlike other birds, snowy owls build their nests on the ground on windswept hummocks and boulders in the Arctic barrens.
No#23: They mate for life
From May to June, snowy owls breed, but the breeding session may change based on the amount of prey available. Generally, snowy owls release 3 to 11 eggs during a single spawning event.
No#24: They acted in a film
In the “Harry Potter” film, several male snowy owls were used —these white birds played a prominent role in the series.
No#25: They are patient in hunting
Snowy owls can show incredible patience while hunting their favorite foods. They are ready to spend several hours pursuing prey while sitting in a single spot.
No#26: Quebec’s official bird
In 2016, snowy owls were seen several states of Canada throughout the year; that’s why they even nominated for Canada’s national bird in 2016.
No#27: Eating the whole prey in one single gulp
Whenever snowy owls hunt any small prey, it takes 18 to 24 hours for regurgitation after eating the prey.
No#28: Only 100,000 snowy olds are left
According to the Patriot-News, there are approximately 100,000 snowy owls are left in the world, which makes them endangered.
Snowy Owl Habitat Facts
No#29: Eating 1,600 lemmings each year
Snowy owls’ favorite meal is lemming; they can eat up to 1,600 lemmings per year.
No#30: They have a long lifespan
A snowy owl lives 25 years on average, but many of them can live up to 30 years.
No#31: Rising temperature is a treat to snowy owls existing
Due to high temperatures, there has been less snowfall globally. It leads to a threat for their nest and also for local rodent populations, which is their main food source.
No#32: Drone name
In 2006, French Air Force introduced a drone system—though its name was arfang des neiges, it was mainly named after the snowy owls.
No#33: They don’t like to get close to people
As they can see from far away, they don’t like to go to a location where they see people gathered.
No#34: They are capable of breeding with other owls
Snowy owls have been observed mating with other owl species, according to researchers.
No#35: They can walk and run
Though a snowy owl is a bird, it can walk or even run quickly using its outstretched wings for balance if necessary.
Amazing Facts about Snowy Owls
No#36: Scientific name of snowy owls
A snowy owl is called Bubo scandiacus in scientific terms. “Bubo” means a horned owl, while “Scandiacus” means Scandinavia, where they were first discovered.
No#37: Threat for snowy owls
People, like many other species, are thought to be the most serious threat to the snowy owl. They are merely killed or eaten by other animals, which helps them live longer than other birds.
No#38: Snowy Owl in the Zoo
You will see snowy owls in many zoos and aviaries of the USA. Breeding programs are also conducted to help increase the snowy owl population.
No#39: They can fly up to 46 miles per hour
Snowy owls prefer to fly in open space, and they can reach up to 46 mph speed.
No#40: One of the largest owl species in the world
There are around 250 owl species in the world —among them, the snowy owl is one of the largest owl species.
Wrapping Up
There are many types of owls available in the world, but snowy owls are one the finest and enchanting creatures in the world. We have discussed so many informative and interesting & funny facts about snowy owl. Which fact made you most surprised? Hopefully, you have enjoyed learning all these cool facts about snowy owls. Thanks for reading!
