Snowy Owl in Flight

A snowy owl sweeps low across a field where thin snow has settled between stands of dry grass. Its wings are caught at full stretch, showing the pale flight feathers and dark markings along the tips. A bare tree line runs behind the bird under a pale gray sky, and its yellow eye is easy to pick out in the rounded white face.

Dark markings repeat along the owl's raised wing, with longer feathers fanning out near its tip. The opposite wing reaches across the field at a flatter angle. White plumage and snow share the same pale color, but feathers have fine parallel edges where snow lies in softer patches. Dry stalks rise between those patches. Behind the bird, bare branches form a denser gray pattern than either wing.