Snowy owl

The snowy owl is very well adapted to a cold climate. It has tiny air bubbles in its feathers that provide insulation against cold weather, and its thick plumage extends all the way to the tips of its toes. The adult male is white in colour. The female, which incubates eggs in the springtime in a scrape built on terrain with alternating snowy and thawed-out spots, has dark spotting on its plumage. The owlets hatch in the summer and have dark grey protective colouring.

The vole and lemming populations in the north can vary greatly from one year to the next, as well as regionally. When food is scarce, the snowy owl migrates to areas with more prey. As a result, snowy owls lead a nomadic life throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Nesting in Finland is very rare.