Instructions
Look at the owls feather features. Snowy owls are white with dark spots that form bars across the body. Male snowy owls are whiter than females and have fewer and lighter spots. The males will have up to three tail bands. The females are white, but they have dark spots and are barred on their entire body. Female tails have four to six tail bands.
Compare the the bird's size. There are two features to view, the tail size and the wingspan. The females tend to have larger wingspans and tail sizes. In a general population of snowy owls, there will be some variety, however, females are consistently larger. A female wingspan can range from 15 1/2 to 17 1/2 inches compared to the smaller 15- to 15-1/2-inch span of the males. Likewise, the tail of a female snowy owl ranges from 8 1/2 to 9 1/4 inches as opposed to the males 8- to 8-1/2-inch-long tail.
Listen for the owl's voice. Hearing a snowy owl can be challenging because they are generally silent except for breeding season, which is between May and September. When vocalization does occur, the male is often making a "hoo, hoo" sound. They may also give territorial warnings if there is danger near the nest.
How Are Male & Female Snowy Owls Different?
The snowy owl is a white owl that is found in the arctic regions around the north pole. The owls live in tundra areas below elevations of 300 meters. Occasionally these owls will be seen farther south, particularly in Northern China, Great Britain and Midwest region of North America, . Generally, these appearances are marked by limited food resources in the tundra. Food resources may be limited when prey populations fall or when there is a population boom.