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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	Snowy Owl	Spotted Wood-owl
Scientific Name	Bubo scandiacus	Strix seloputo
Order	Strigiformes	Strigiformes
Family	Strigidae	Strigidae
Conservation Status	Vulnerable	Least Concern
Length	63.0 cm (24.8 in)	—
Wingspan	145.0 cm (57.1 in)	70.9 cm (27.9 in)
Weight	2100.0 g (74.08 oz)	1011.0 g (35.66 oz)
Diet	Primarily lemmings on the breeding grounds, where a pair may consume over 1,500 per year. …	--
Clutch Size	3-14	2-3
Population Trend	—	—

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Size Comparison

Body Length

Snowy Owl 63.0 cm

Spotted Wood-owl —

Wingspan

Snowy Owl 145.0 cm

Spotted Wood-owl 70.9 cm

Weight

Snowy Owl 2100.0 g

Spotted Wood-owl 1011.0 g

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

🏖️ Coastal

Snowy Owl only

🌾 Grassland 🌿 Wetland

Spotted Wood-owl only

🌲 Forest

Snowy Owl

Arctic tundra for breeding. Winters in open habitats resembling tundra, including prairies, airports, shorelines, and agricultural fields.

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Song & Call Comparison

Snowy Owl

Song

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.

Spotted Wood-owl

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Geographic Range & Migration

Snowy Owl

Circumpolar Arctic for breeding. Irruptive winter movements bring birds south to the northern United States, Europe, and Asia.

Spotted Wood-owl

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Conservation Status

Vulnerable

Snowy Owl

Least Concern

Spotted Wood-owl

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How to Tell Them Apart

Snowy Owl

Plumage

Adult males are almost entirely white. Females and immatures have dark brown barring and spotting. Yellow eyes and fully feathered feet.

Bill

Dark hooked bill mostly hidden by dense facial feathering

Spotted Wood-owl

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About These Birds

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.

Spotted Wood-owl

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Related Comparisons

Great Horned Owl vs Snowy Owl

same-family

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More Birds to Explore

More from Strigidae

Abyssinian Owl Asio abyssinicus African Barred Owlet Glaucidium capense African Scops-owl Otus senegalensis African Wood-owl Strix woodfordii All Strigidae birds →

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