Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist classified the Snowy Owl in 1858. The name "scandiaca" is a Latin word referring to Scandanavia, as the Snowy Owl was first observed and identified in Northern Europe.
Some other names for the Snowy Owl are: Snow Owl, Arctic Owl, Great White Owl, Ghost Owl Ookpik, Scandanavian Night Bird, White Terror of the North anfd Highlands and Tundra Owl. The Snowy Owl is the official bird of the Province of Quebec.
The Snowy Owl inhabits the Arctic Regions of both the old and new world. It is about the size of the Great Horned Owl with a height of about two feet. The average female stands about 26 inches tall while the average male stands a slight smaller at about 23 inches tall.
In the warm summer months Snowy Owls are cinnamon in color with dark specks. In the winter months the owl turn almost entirely white. It is a large white owl with a rounded head, yellow eyes and a black, hooked beak. Their plumage has speckles with thin, black bars. Adult males appear almost oure white with thre tail bands. This change in plumage coloring accoeding to the season affords them the ability to hide when they hunt. In the warm weather they blend in with the ground colors and in the winter they look the color of snow. The adult Snow Owl's wingspan is from four to five feet and the female weighs about 3 3/4 pounds while the male owl weighs about 3 1/2 pounds. Females and juvenilke owls have more markings than the males. Adult female Snowy Owls have barring throughout and four to six tail bands. Young Snowy Owls have brown bars with widely separated white tips of down. The dark barring may dominate the overall white feathers.
The feet of the owl have feathers and extra thick pads. Their feet are furry because the Arctic regions are so cold. Having well insulate feet is important in the region because there aren't to many trees so the owl has to nest and live on the ground.
Snowy Owl's vision allows them to see from high up in the sky and to swoop down quietly to apprehend their prey. The owl flies with powerful strokes and they normally choose to make small flights close to the ground from one perch to another. During the hot weather they can adjust their body temperature by panting or spreading their wings.
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