Snowy owl pinecone craft

Iowa is home to nine species of owls.

The snowy owl seems like the Holy Grail of owls, sometimes, since it is so elusive and seen so sporadically in the wintertime.

It makes for a fun excursion to try to track down, and it also makes for a fun wintertime craft.

To make your own snowy owl, you’ll need:
Pinecone
Cotton balls
Two googly eyes
Brown construction paper or craft foam sheets
Hot glue or Elmer’s glue
Brown marker, optional

Begin by pulling apart cotton balls and stuffing the crevices in the pinecone with white cotton to make the snowy owl’s white feathers. Snowy owls aren’t pure white. In fact, the vast majority are a good mix of white and brown, so leave some brown of the pinecone peeking through for accuracy.

Cut your brown construction paper or foam sheets into two circles, a small triangle and two half ovals. If you want, use the marker to add feather detail to the half-ovals, like wings. Glue the two circles where the eyes should go, the triangle upside down for the beak and the two half-ovals on each side for wings.

Glue the googly eyes on top of the two brown circles to complete the eyes.

Use your imagination and fly your snowy owl all around your house! That way, you’re guaranteed a snowy owl sighting this winter.