Snowy owls are highly adapted to the Arctic tundra. Their thick feathers help keep them warm in freezing temperatures, and their white coloring provides camouflage against the snow. Males tend to be whiter, while females and younger owls have more black or brown speckles. Snowy Owls are also known for defending their nests very fiercely, even against wolves. Their exceptional, forward-facing eyes help them hunt in high-glare, 24-hour daylight. They are also diurnal, nomadic hunters with acute, silent hearing capable of detecting prey beneath snow.

One adaptation of the Great Horned Owl is its ability to rotate its head up to 270 degrees (almost all the way around) because its eyes can’t move in their sockets. It is also known for nesting early in the year, sometimes laying eggs in the middle of winter. These owls often reuse old nests built by hawks, crows, or squirrels. Great horned owls are nocturnal predators capable of silent flight due to fringed feathers. They have immense grip strength in their talons that helps them to break prey bones. They also have specialized hearing as a result of asymmetrical ear openings.