Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Order STRIGIFORMES - Family STRIGIDAE

Menu

1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

Found from the Arctic tundra to the tropical rainforest, from the desert to suburban backyards, the Great Horned Owl is one of the most widespread and common owls in North America.

Cool Facts

• The Great Horned Owl is the only animal that regularly eats skunks.

• The Great Horned Owl will take large prey, even other raptorial birds. It regularly kills and eats other owls, and is an important predator on nestling Ospreys. The reintroduction of Peregrine Falcons has been hampered in some areas by owls killing both adult and nestling falcons.

• The Great Horned Owl is a regular victim of harassment from flocks of American Crows. Crows congregate from long distances to mob owls, and may continue yelling at them for hours. The enmity of the crows is well earned, however, as the owl is probably the most important predator on adult crows and nestlings.

• Even though the female Great Horned Owl is larger than her mate, the male has a deeper voice. Pairs often call together, with audible differences in pitch.

Description

• Size: 46-63 cm (18-25 in)
• Wingspan: 101-145 cm (40-57 in)
• Weight: 910-2500 g (32.12-88.25 ounces)

• Large owl.
• Prominent ear tufts widely spaced on head.

• Body brown and gray with dark barring.
• Throat white.
• Orange facial disk outlined in black.
• Eyes yellow.
• Bill dark.
• Some forms pale gray to white.

Sex Differences

Sexes alike in plumage; female larger.

Immature

Immature like adult. Fledges from nest while still downy around the head and without noticeable ear tufts.

Similar Species

• Long-eared Owl slimmer, with proportionately larger ear tufts that are closer together on head.
• Barred Owl without ear tufts, has streaking, not barring on underparts, and has dark eyes.

Sound

Call a deep hooting "hoo-h'HOO--hoo-hoo." Young make a loud, raspy screech.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Resident across North America from northern Alaska and Canada through Mexico to Nicaragua. Also in South America to Tierra del Fuego.

Habitat

• Found in a wide variety of habitats, but prefers open and secondary-growth woodlands and agricultural areas.
• Also in boreal forest, desert, and suburban and urban areas.

Food

Broad diet of animals, from small mammals to rabbits, geese, and herons. Some birds, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates, but mostly mammals.

Behavior

Foraging

Hunts at night, mostly from perches next to open areas.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Uses a variety of nest sites, including trees, cliffs, buildings, and the ground. Does not make its own nest. Typically takes over nests in trees made by other bird species. Often puts nest in hollows or broken-off snags in trees.

Egg Description

White, close to spherical.

Clutch Size

Usually 2 eggs. Range: 1-5.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless and covered with white down.

Conservation Status

Not endangered; populations robust. Individuals may be threats to endangered species.

Other Names

Grand-duc d'Amérique (French)
Búsho cornudo (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Houston, C. S., D. G. Smith, and C. Rohner. 1998. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). In The Birds of North America, No. 372 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.