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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal	Tawny-bellied Screech-owl	Snowy Owl
Wissenschaftlicher Name	Megascops watsonii	Bubo scandiacus
Ordnung	Strigiformes	Strigiformes
Familie	Strigidae	Strigidae
Erhaltungsstatus	Least Concern	Vulnerable
Länge	—	63,0 cm (24.8 in)
Flügelspannweite	33,1 cm (13.0 in)	145,0 cm (57.1 in)
Gewicht	143,0 g (5.04 oz)	2100,0 g (74.08 oz)
Ernährung	--	Primarily lemmings on the breeding grounds, where a pair may consume over 1,500 per year. …
Gelegegröße	2	3-14
Population Trend	—	—

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Size Comparison

Body Length

Tawny-bellied Screech-owl —

Snowy Owl 63,0 cm

Flügelspannweite

Tawny-bellied Screech-owl 33,1 cm

Snowy Owl 145,0 cm

Gewicht

Tawny-bellied Screech-owl 143,0 g

Snowy Owl 2100,0 g

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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

-

Tawny-bellied Screech-owl only

🌲 Forest

Snowy Owl only

🌿 Wetland 🌾 Grassland 🏖️ Coastal

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

Tawny-bellied Screech-owl

Snowy Owl

Gesang

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.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Tawny-bellied Screech-owl

Snowy Owl

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

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Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Tawny-bellied Screech-owl

Vulnerable

Snowy Owl

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How to Tell Them Apart

Tawny-bellied Screech-owl

Snowy Owl

Gefieder

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

Schnabel

Dark hooked bill mostly hidden by dense facial feathering

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About These Birds

Tawny-bellied Screech-owl

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.

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Related Comparisons

Great Horned Owl vs Snowy Owl

same-family

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