NatureBoost Episode 71: Snowy Owls
December 2025
SMA
[Intro music ♫]
>> Hey there, and welcome back to NatureBoost! The podcast where we explore the outdoors in Missouri, one adventure at a time. I'm Jill Pritchard with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Just a quick note before we jump in, this episode is a little different from what we originally had scheduled. We planned to bring you the second installment of our One Health series, featuring the Boone County One Health Pilot Project, but that episode needed to be postponed. That follow up is still on the way, but today we're traveling north . . . way north.
[Bird squawking.]
Even though Missouri is far from the Arctic, every so often one of the Arctic's most iconic residents finds its way into our state. Big, white, majestic, and very out of place . . . it's the snowy owl.
[Snowy owl call/music ♪]
Snowy owls are like the celebrities of the bird world. They're huge, they're gorgeous, and when someone spots one in Missouri, the birding community lights up like a Christmas tree. But why do snowy owls visit us, and why only in certain years? To answer that, I sat down with someone who knows snowy owls better than most people . . . MDC State Ornithologist Kristen Heath-Acre. Let's jump into our conversation.
[Snowy owl call/music ♪]
>> I like snowy owls, because I think they're funny looking.
>> Yeah, they are.
>> Don't you think so?
>> Yeah!
>> I think so, because any time I see pictures of them, they always have their little beaks open.
>> [Laughing.]
>> And . . . sometimes their eyes will be closed, and it looks like they're smiling . . .? Or, like they're so happy.
[2:01.]
>> It's a classic, classic snowy owl pose.
>> [Laughing.] It is! Okay, so, they live in the Arctic.
>> Yeah.
>> Why do we see them in Missouri sometimes?
>> They breed in the Arctic, so they breed really, really far north, you know . . . and they migrate south to generally like southern Canada, or the northern Great Lake states, or the northeast. Occasionally, they'll have what we call an "eruptive migration", where lots of them come really far south, even so far south as Texas and Florida. That's why we get them in Missouri occasionally, but not always.
>> They'll even go as far as Texas?
>> Yeah. Actually, the only snowy owl I've ever seen was 5 minutes from the house I grew up in, in Odessa, Texas. Which is west Texas, which is just a highlight of my birding career. [Laughing.] It was awesome.
>> How bizarre is that!
>> It was very strange, yeah. It was awesome.
>> And it's so warm, right?
>> Yeah.
>> They're okay, right?
>> Yeah! They're just looking for food . . . yeah.
>> Okay, alright! I trust you. You know what you're talking about. So, are they most likely to show up in the northern part of the state in Missouri?
>> Yeah. You're probably going to see them in the northern part of the state. They like big open areas, so northern Missouri is good for that. You know, we really could see them anywhere. It just depends on how many . . . if it's a big eruptive migration that year, you'll get them in really surprising places.
>> So, Heather Feeler, our communications branch chief, was telling me there were two snowy owls recently in Chicago?
>> Yes.
>> Did you see that? And people were just flocking to see them.
>> Yeah.
>> People just get really excited.
>> Yeah, no . . . snowy owls, of course. It's Harry Potter, Hedwig . . . you know, people get really excited. Good recognition. It gets people excited about birding, which is awesome. But yeah, it can get pretty crowded.
>> I want to touch on being respectful whenever birding.
[4:04.]
>> Yep.
>> Before we get into that . . . can you tell how old or like, gender by looking at them? Tell us a bit about that.
>> If you have a very discerning eye, you can tell. There's overlap between males and females and juveniles. So, I would say to the average person, no. You probably can't. [Laughing.] But, you know . . . adult males are probably the whitest, really pure white. Females are generally more heavily barred, and have darker markings. Juvenile birds might be even more heavily marked, like lots of barring and things like that. But, even experts make mistakes. The interesting thing is you're more likely to see juveniles down south, here in Missouri. Those are the birds that are really, really dispersing in the winter, and really moving farther south.
>> Oh, okay. So if we do see one in Missouri, it's more likely to be a younger one.
>> More likely, yeah. And that's because . . . the reason they eruptively migrate is because they've had a big bumper crop that summer of their favorite food source, which is lemmings, a kind of rodent.
>> Okay . . . I was going to ask. I saw that they eat lemmings, but I was like "what even is that?"
>> Yeah. Cute little rodent, a favorite snack of snowy owls. When there's a big population of lemmings, a big population boom, you'll actually get a more successful crop of snowy owls, snowy owl chicks. So, you just have lots of snowy owls that year, and you'll have more coming south.
>> So whenever there is . . .
>> Kind of like overflow.
>> That makes sense. So, they eat lemmings which are rodents . . . so in Missouri, what are they eating then? Mice?
>> Yeah. They'll eat any you know . . . rodents, mostly.
>> Whenever they're here, how long do they usually stay around Missouri?
[6:02.]
>> It depends if there's lots of rodents around. If there's lots of good food around, they're going to stick around longer. You might see them a day, or a week, or a couple of weeks . . . generally not much more longer than that. Then they'll move somewhere else where there's food.
>> That explains why people get really excited about them. You know? If they pop up, because it could be very fleeting to see them.
>> Yep.
>> So if you do spot one, what's the best way to view it respectfully, without disturbing it?
>> Yeah. So, don't approach it too close. You know? There's a respectful distance. You can kind of tell what that is. They're not going to . . . you don't want them to move or notice you, or look at you. It's really best to stay in your vehicle. They're not going to be as stressed if you're in a car, and not getting out of the car and approaching them. Don't make noises, don't try to like, play owl calls to get their attention . . . lots of people do that because it will get their attention, but it's stressful for them. They're in a stressful environment anyway. They're trying to find food, and things like that. Also, respect private property. That's a big one with birding. You need to make sure you're not trespassing. If that property is private, you're not walking out or driving out on someone's property without permission.
>> Right.
>> The snowy owls don't know who owns what. They just want to hang out and eat food.
>> Is it helpful to report sightings?
>> Yes. Yeah. I would highly recommend reporting snowy owl sightings on Ebird, firstly. That's the best way to get the message out that those birds are there. We also use those sightings for data, for monitoring their movements, you know? Is this year an eruptive migration year? We'll look to Ebird to see if that's true. Also, to monitor trends over time . . . you know, are there more snowy owls than there were 20 years ago? That kind of thing.
[8:00.]
We'll learn that from Ebird, too. Also, it alerts the birding community that there's a snowy owl, and so everyone can come enjoy as well.
>> That will be a notification for them, that ones are in the area.
>> Yeah. You can set up an alert to tell Ebird. . . "tell me when snowy owls are in the area", and it'll let you know, so you can check it out!
>> Can you do their call?
>> [Laughing.]
>> What does their call sound like? I'm not sure if I know what it sounds like.
>> It's a hoot, you know . . . like a raspy hoot. [Growling.]
>> [Laughing.]
>> It's not like a "hoo hoo", or anything like that. It's more like, raspy. Yeah. I gave it my best, I'm not going to do it again! Don't make me do it again. [Laughing.]
>> [Laughing.] That's not at all what I was expecting them to sound like! It is kind of raspy, like a growl.
>> Yeah.
>> That's cute.
>> If you want . . . I recommend looking up the real thing, if you're interested.
[Snowy owl call/music ♪]
>> It's amazing to think that a bird from the Arctic tundra could suddenly appear on a Missouri fencepost or a rooftop! But, that's part of the magic of nature. It's full of surprises! Kristen also says this year, researchers are predicting a "mild eruptive" migration, which is why we're seeing snowy owls in the Great Lakes area, and in Chicago. But if you're in northern Missouri, you should keep an eye out this winter, as you could spot one! Thanks again to Missouri ornithologist Kristen Heath-Acre for appearing on this episode, and teaching us all about these magical birds of prey.
If you want to learn more about snowy owls and their annual movements, visit projectsnowstorm.org. And as always, you can learn more about Missouri's winter wildlife at missouriconservation.org.
[10:05.]
And remember if you do spot a snowy owl this winter, keep a respectful distance, soak in the moment, and savor the fact that you just witnessed something truly remarkable. I'm Jill Pritchard with the Missouri Department of Conservation, wishing you happy holidays, happy bird watching, and of course, encouraging you to get your daily dose of the outdoors!
[Outro music ♫]
[End of podcast.]