Snowy Owl

See the struggles of the Arctic foxes and the snowy owls to find food in the Siberian ArcticSee all videos for this article

snowy owl, (Nyctea scandiaca), white or barred, brown-and-white bird of prey of the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes). It inhabits the Arctic tundra and sometimes wanders southward in Europe, Asia, and North America. Snowy owls are about 60 cm (about 2 feet) long and have broad wings and a round head without ear tufts. They eat small mammals (such as hares and lemmings) and birds and nest on the ground in the open.