Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

With it’s familiar hooting call and distinctive silhouette, the Great Horned Owl has been made recognizable to many by way of movies, cartoons, and shows.

Habitat

Look for Great Horned Owls from the Arctic down to South America, where you can find them in a wide variety of areas that have a mixture of trees and open space. This can include mixed forests, wetlands, deserts, prairie, and even urban parks.

Food

Great Horned Owls eat other animals in a wide range of sizes, from small insects and rodents to larger rabbits, skunks, ducks, and even porcupines!

Behaviour

Like their habitat and diet, Great Horned Owls will nest in a wide variety of places. They do not build their own nests, but instead depend on old nests from hawks, crows, and ravens. However, they will also nest in cavities in living and dead trees and fallen trees. If these are not available, buildings, cliff ledges, and even the ground will be used. They will lay 1 to 4 eggs that hatch in 30 to 37 days. The pairs will stay together to feed young and defend territories. Hunting is mostly at night, including dusk and dawn.

Conservation

Abundant and widespread, Great Horned Owls are adaptable to changes in their habitats and are a species of low concern.

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