Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Color Photographs: © Corel Corp.

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 25 inches. A large owl with large, pointed ear-like tufts of feathers. Color variable, usually brown to gray, sometimes white in the far north. Face with two flat, light brown, concave facial disks separated by a deep v-shaped indentation of the crown. Indentation of crown with well marked, white, eyebrow-like lines. Throat white. Streaking of underside fine and horizontal.

Similar Species:  The Long-eared Owl is nearly half the size of the Great Horned Owl. The ears are very long and narrow. The Great Gray Owl is similar in size, but lacks "ears" and the eye disks are gray, not light brown.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Great Horned Owl is resident throughout almost all of North America except for the extreme north. Its range extends southward into much of the rest of the New World.

Overwintering Range:  See above.

Habitat: The Great Horned Owl lives in just above every habitat ranging from forests, to deserts, and even in urban parks.

Food: This species preys on a wide variety of food animals including birds, small mammals, and herps.

Behavior: The Great Horned Owl, like most owls, is a nocturnal hunter. Its voice consists of a series of 4 to 7 hoots we normally associate with an owl.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 2 to 3 white eggs. The eggs are laid on bare ground in a cliff, cave, or on the ground. The Great Horned Owl begins breeding early in the year, sometimes when there is still snow on the ground.