Snowy Owl

The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large Arctic owl with a circumpolar breeding distribution across the tundra of Eurasia and North America. Within the Central Asian Flyway (CAF), it breeds in the Arctic tundra of northern Siberia and is an irruptive and nomadic winter visitor to parts of Central Asia, occasionally reaching Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and northern China in years of low prey availability. The species inhabits open Arctic tundra, nesting on windswept ridges and rocky outcrops, and feeds primarily on lemmings and other small mammals, supplemented by birds and other vertebrates. Globally classified as Vulnerable, the Snowy Owl faces threats from climate change, declining prey populations, habitat alteration, and increasing human disturbance across its Arctic breeding range. The Snowy Owl has long held cultural significance among Indigenous Arctic peoples and is widely regarded as an iconic symbol of the Arctic wilderness and its fragile ecosystems.