One of the few Owls that nest in the open, the Snowy Owl usually nests on top of a slight rise of ground that gives it a vantage point to watch the surrounding country. Incubation is by the female alone, and the male brings her food while she sits.

As daylight is continuous above the arctic circle in summer, the Snowy Owl is then, by necessity, a daylight hunter. It also hunts to some extent by day during the winter. Fast enough fliers to catch and kill ducks on the wing, Snowy Owls eat any animal they can kill, but their mainstay is Lemmings and Hares. During the cyclic lows that occur once every 5 to 7 years, Snowy Owls are forced to fly south, and can be found during this period in the British Isles.