Snowy owl in tree
A snowy owl in a bare Minnesota tree, from a species that pushes far south of its winter range every few years.
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Most owls hunt at night. The snowy owl does not: it comes from an Arctic summer of round-the-clock daylight, and it hunts by day. This one was photographed at 2.43 in the afternoon on 7 January 2025, perched partway up a bare deciduous tree in St. Louis County, Minnesota. It faces left, one long pale tail-and-wing line showing against the branches.
Minnesota's wildlife agency says snowy owls usually perch on the ground, or on buildings and utility poles; the tree belongs to the wider list the neighbouring Wisconsin agency keeps. In Minnesota the species is seen most often in the northern half of the state. It carries enough insulation for the Arctic to be one of the heaviest owls in North America, on a four to five foot wingspan. Behind it, blue sky and a grey-purple cloud bank.