Great Horned Owl
A species of Horned Owls, Also known as Virginian Eagle-owl, Tiger Of The Air, Cuckatoo Owl, Winged Tiger, Tiger Owl, Hoot Owl Scientific name : Bubo virginianus Genus : Horned Owls
Great Horned Owl, A species of Horned Owls
Also known as:
Virginian Eagle-owl, Tiger Of The Air, Cuckatoo Owl, Winged Tiger, Tiger Owl, Hoot Owl
Botanical name: Bubo virginianus
Genus: Horned Owls
Content
Description People often ask General Info
Description
With piercing yellow eyes, long tuft-like ears, and that deep hoot, the great Horned Owl is truly a sight to behold. If you see an owl depicted in a storybook, odds are it is a great Horned Owl. This powerful hunter can prey on rabbits, snakes, hawks, and even skunks with its excellent vision and keen hearing.
Size
46 - 64 cm
Life Expectancy
13-35 years
Nest Placement
Tree
Clutch Size
1 - 4 eggs
Incubation Period
1 brood
Number of Broods
30 - 37 days
Nestling Period
42 days
Feeding Habits
Great Horned Owl's diet is extremely varied, including small rodents to skunks and birds such as ducks and other raptors. They consume mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and sometimes carrion. They are versatile hunters, active mostly at night but occasionally by day, capturing prey on the wing or stalking on the ground.
Habitat
Great Horned Owl thrives across diverse habitats, from dense woods and wetlands to grasslands and urban areas. This species exhibits a preference for secondary-growth forests, swamps, and agricultural landscapes. It adapts well from sea level to mountainous regions, utilizing open fields and pastures as hunting grounds. In desert environments, great Horned Owl resorts to cliffs or juniper groves, underscoring its remarkable environmental adaptability.
Nest Behavior
Pairs of great Horned Owl roost near nest sites months prior to egg-laying. They typically do not build new nests and rarely reuse old ones. Nest maintenance is minimal, with gradual deterioration over the season.
Nest Characteristics
Great Horned Owl often appropriates nests built by other species, utilizing trees or structures that may include live trees, snags, buildings, cliffs, or platforms. Nests vary in size, composed of sticks and sometimes lined with bark, feathers, fur, or nothing.
Dite type
Carnivorous
People often ask
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Bird Feeder Type
Platform
Behavior
Great Horned Owl exhibits distinct nocturnal habits, preferring to hunt at dusk and before dawn, with adjustments in activity during food scarcity or winter daylight. They maintain monogamous pairs and defend territories with potent hooting. Territory intrusion triggers aggressive responses, including bill-clapping and hissing, leading to physical defense if needed. Complex interspecies interactions involve harassment by crows and raptors and predation threats to their young. Outside breeding, pairs remain territorial but roost apart.
Distribution Area
The breeding habitat of the great horned owl extends high into the subarctic of North America, where they are found up to the northwestern and southern Mackenzie Mountains, Keewatin, Ontario, northern Manitoba, Fort Chimo in Ungava, Okak, Newfoundland and Labrador, Anticosti Island and Prince Edward Island. They are distributed throughout most of North and very spottily in Central America and then down into South America south to upland regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, before they give way to the Magellanic horned owl, which thence ranges all the way to Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of the continent. 
Species Status
Occasionally, these owls may prey on threatened species. Following the devastation to its populations from DDT, the reintroduction of the peregrine falcon to the Mississippi and Hudson Rivers was hampered by great horned owls killing both young and adult peregrines at night. Where clear-cutting occurs in old-growth areas of the Pacific Northwest, spotted owls have been badly affected by considerable great horned owl predation.
Scientific Classification
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