🐾 Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl

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Who it is

• Scientific name: Bubo virginianus
• Family & relatives: A large owl in the family Strigidae, related to other true owls like the snowy owl and the eagle owls.
• How to spot it: A big, powerful owl with feathery ear tufts that look like horns, a white throat, and large golden-yellow eyes.

Its body & abilities

• Size: About 46 to 63 cm long with a wingspan near 1 to 1.5 m.
• Weight: Roughly 1 to 2 kg (2 to 4 lb), with females larger than males.
• Body & adaptations: Soft-edged feathers let it fly almost silently, and it can turn its head far around to look behind itself.
• Top speed: Flies at about 40 km/h (25 mph) and dives faster when swooping onto prey.
• Strength: Its strong feet and sharp talons grip with great force, letting it catch animals as large as itself.
• Senses: Amazing night vision and pinpoint hearing let it find prey in near-total darkness.
• Growing up: Fluffy owlets hatch helpless, are fed by both parents, and learn to fly at about seven weeks.

Where it lives

• Habitat: Forests, woodlands, deserts, wetlands, and even city parks, from cold to warm regions.
• Where in the world: Throughout the Americas, from Alaska and Canada down to southern South America.
• Territory: A pair defends a territory year-round, often reusing the same nesting area for years.

What it eats

• Diet: A carnivore that hunts other animals and gets most of its water from its prey.
• Favorite foods: Rabbits, mice, squirrels, birds, and other small animals, plus the occasional larger catch.
• How it hunts: It waits quietly on a perch, then glides down on silent wings to surprise its prey in the dark.

How it behaves

• How it moves: Flies with slow, silent wingbeats and can also hop and walk along branches.
• When it is active: Mostly nocturnal, hunting at night and roosting quietly in trees during the day.
• Family life: Largely solitary except for breeding pairs; a group of owls is called a parliament.
• How it talks: Calls with a deep, soft hoot that carries far, used to claim territory and find a mate.
• Babies: It often takes over an old nest of another bird; the female lays two or three eggs and both parents feed the young.

Its place in nature

• Role in nature: A top night hunter that keeps rodent numbers in check; its eggs and owlets can be taken by other predators.
• Conservation: Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a large and widespread population.
• Dangers: Dies mainly from collisions, poisoning of its prey, and hunger when food is scarce.

Life & legacy

• How long it lives: About 13 years in the wild and up to around 30 years in captivity.
• In our culture: A symbol of wisdom and the night in many cultures, and a familiar hooting voice of the forest.
• Where to see it: Woodlands and parks across the Americas at dusk, plus wildlife centers and reputable zoos.
• Fun fact: A great horned owl can turn its head about three quarters of the way around because it has many extra neck bones.