Bearded Screech-owl vs Snowy Owl
Megascops barbarus compared with Bubo scandiacus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Bearded Screech-owl | Snowy Owl |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Megascops barbarus | Bubo scandiacus |
| Order | Strigiformes | Strigiformes |
| Family | Strigidae | Strigidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | 63.0 cm (24.8 in) |
| Wingspan | 27.2 cm (10.7 in) | 145.0 cm (57.1 in) |
| Weight | 67.25 g (2.37 oz) | 2100.0 g (74.08 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Primarily lemmings on the breeding grounds, where a pair may consume over 1,500 per year. … |
| Clutch Size | 4-5 | 3-14 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
None
Bearded Screech-owl only
Snowy Owl only
Snowy Owl
Arctic tundra for breeding. Winters in open habitats resembling tundra, including prairies, airports, shorelines, and agricultural fields.
Song & Call Comparison
Bearded Screech-owl
Snowy Owl
Male gives a deep booming hoot 'hooooo' and a rising 'hoo-hoo' series. Also barks sharply when alarmed. Quieter than many owls; silent during long Arctic winter hunts.
Geographic Range & Migration
Bearded Screech-owl
Snowy Owl
Circumpolar Arctic for breeding. Irruptive winter movements bring birds south to the northern United States, Europe, and Asia.
Conservation Status
Bearded Screech-owl
Snowy Owl
How to Tell Them Apart
Bearded Screech-owl
Snowy Owl
Adult males are almost entirely white. Females and immatures have dark brown barring and spotting. Yellow eyes and fully feathered feet.
Dark hooked bill mostly hidden by dense facial feathering
About These Birds
Bearded Screech-owl
The Bearded Screech-owl is a small owl found in the highland cloud forests of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas in Mexico and western Guatemala. It has brownish, cryptically patterned plumage with fine barring and elongated ear tufts. Like other screech-owls, it hunts small invertebrates and vertebrates at night in dense montane forest.
Snowy Owl
The snowy owl is the heaviest North American owl and one of the most charismatic Arctic birds. Unlike most owls, it is largely diurnal, necessitated by the continuous daylight of Arctic summers. Snowy owl irruptions — periodic mass southward movements — are tied to lemming population cycles.