The Snowy Owl is a large, bird of prey of the Arctic regions of the world. In North America, it nests north of the tree line, in the High Arctic from Alaska to Labrador. Its winter range extends roughly across the middle of North America, from its breeding range to northern United States. The Snowy Owl is the provincial bird of Quebec.

Snowy Owls are nocturnal, but they hunt during the day. Their life cycle is intimately dependent on the abundance of lemmings, which form an important part of their food supply. In years when food is plentiful, the Snowy Owl reproduces; in years of scarcity, nesting does not take place. The birds will move to other areas in search of lemmings or they will instead hunt other mammals. These cycles generally occur every four or five years.

Snowy Owls range in size from 52 to 70 cm (20 to 28 in.), and their wingspan ranges from 125 to 145 cm (49 to 57 in.).