Snowy Owl

Hello there. I am a Snowy Owl, a bird from the very top of the world. My feathers are bright white, just like a soft, snowy blanket. This helps me blend in with my home, the Arctic tundra. The tundra is a huge, wide-open land that is covered in snow for most of the year. My white coat is the perfect camouflage, making me almost invisible when I sit on a snowy hill. I have big, round, yellow eyes that are excellent for spotting things far away. They help me see everything that moves across the frosty landscape. It's a beautiful, chilly world, and my special feathers keep me warm and hidden from sight.

My days are spent being a great hunter. My favorite food is a small, furry creature called a lemming. You might not see them because they love to scurry around in tunnels under the snow, but I can find them. I have incredible hearing, and I can listen for the pitter-patter of their tiny feet even when they are hidden from view. Once I hear a lemming, I become very still and listen carefully. Then, with my big, silent wings, I swoop down from the sky without making a sound. My wings are so quiet that the lemming never hears me coming. My feet are not like other birds' feet. They are covered in thick feathers, which are like wearing warm, fluffy slippers all the time. These special feet keep me cozy in the cold and help me grab my food.

Sometimes, the Arctic doesn't have enough lemmings for all of us owls to eat. When that happens, I take a long journey south for the winter to find more food. This special trip is called an irruption. During an irruption, I fly for many, many miles over new places I have never seen before, like forests and fields that are not covered in snow. It's a big adventure for a bird from the Arctic. During one very big trip in the winter of 2013, many of my snowy owl friends and I flew much farther south than usual. Lots of people in the United States were so surprised and excited to see a visitor like me from the far north. They had never seen a Snowy Owl before. It was amazing to see so many new things, but I am always happy to return to my home in the tundra.

My life as a hunter is a very important job in the Arctic ecosystem. By hunting lemmings, I help keep their numbers from getting too big, which keeps the whole tundra balanced and healthy. I am a symbol of the wild and beautiful Arctic. When people see me, it reminds them of my snowy home and why it is so important to protect it. Taking care of the Arctic means that all the snowy owls that come after me will have a safe and wonderful place to live, too.