# Snowy owl (*Bubo scandiacus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/snowy-owl  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. It has been recorded in 38 countries, most often in United States, Canada and Sweden. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Recorded in | 38 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Strigiformes
- family: Strigidae
- genus: Bubo
- species: *Bubo scandiacus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Nyctea nivea*, *Nyctea nyctea*, *Nyctea scandiaca*, *Strix nyctea*, *Strix scandiaca*, *Surnia nyctea*

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

United States (137294), Canada (110468), Sweden (2805), Belgium (989), Finland (578), United Kingdom (561), Russia (518), Norway (461), Greenland (349), St. Pierre & Miquelon (347), Spain (176), China (109), Netherlands (90), Svalbard & Jan Mayen (81), France (75), Denmark (62), Ireland (33), Germany (32), Iceland (16), Ukraine (16), Bermuda (13), Kazakhstan (11), Poland (11), Estonia (7), Japan (6), Czechia (3), Italy (3), Latvia (3), Portugal (3), Faroe Islands (2), Slovakia (2), Åland Islands (1), Guernsey (1), Hungary (1), Lithuania (1), Mongolia (1), Namibia (1), Pakistan (1)

## Common questions

### Where does the snowy owl live?

The snowy owl has openly licensed sighting records from 38 countries on GBIF. The most records come from United States, Canada, Sweden, Belgium and Finland. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

### Is the snowy owl endangered?

The snowy owl is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

### What kind of animal is the snowy owl?

The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.

## Sources

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/snowy-owl