Striking snowy owls are showing up across Washington state and the U.S. this winter as they migrate from arctic homes to winter hunting grounds.

The Bellingham Herald reports the white birds recently were spotted at several locations in Whatcom County, and even perched atop a building at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.

Snowy owls are also a common winter attraction in eastern Washington, especially in Franklin and Stevens counties.

The Spokesman Review says snowy owls spend most of their lives in treeless habitats, where they've evolved to launch their rodent hunts from the ground or low perches such as fence posts. Many of them migrate thousands of miles over wilderness only to meet doom in a vehicle collision as they cross a road.