Weight 3.5-4.5 pounds. Large owl without ear tufts. White plumage with some dark barrings. Large, round head, yellow eyes and beak, claws black. Females larger and more heavily barred.
Juveniles are uniformly brown with scattered white tips of down.
Status Commercial trade of this species is regulated by international law, since it may become endangered without regulated trade. Nests on the ground. Migrates to southern Canada and the United States during years of lemming and hare scarcity. Nest is scraped out of the earth amid tall moss. The female incubates while the male brings her food.