Species Spotlight: Snowy Owl

Scientific Name: Nyctea scandiaca

Size: Between 20 - 27 inches, averaging 23 inches. Wingspan is around 54 - 66 inches and the average weight is around 3 pounds. .

Range: Snowy Owls are residents of the Arctic Tundra, and really only come down to West Virginia during "irruptive "years (times when food is scarce and they migrate south for the winter). When they do visit WV, they can be found in high elevations with big open areas, such as Canaan Valley.

Habitat: Tundra. Likes rocky areas with hillocks and mounds.

Food preferences: small rodents, especially lemmings.

Mating: Monogamous.

Nesting: On hummocks, esp. on bare-topped gravel banks. Unlined or minimally lined with moss, lichen and grass plucked from near the rim of the nest.

Eggs: 3 - 4 white eggs, about 2.2" in length. Young hatch asynchronously, male feeds the female while she does all the brooding. Family remains together until autumn.

Average Lifespan: about 14 - 18 years, but data is sketchy.

Hunting Technique: Perch and glide predator.

Status: Only occasionally visits West Virginia, usually during the winter. During this "irruptive" migration, they have been spotted in Canaan Valley primarily, although general reports show sightings from the northern Panhandle down into Kanawha county.

Notes: Breeding and colony sizes relate closely to lemming populations and when there are few lemmings, Snowy Owls rarely breed. As a general rule, these owls stay together as a family until Autumn, when they disperse to form new territories. In the Winter, the males follow a nomadic way of life, but the females stay in and guard their territories. Eiders and Geese often nest near Snowy Owls for protection against Arctic Foxes. Snowy Owls rarely roost in trees. According to Venable's Birds of Prey (WVU Extension Service, recently published), WV sightings report Snowy Owls sitting on a low perch or guardrail along a road in an open situation.