Great Horned Owl

Strix virginiana Gmelin, 1788 and see text

The Great Horned Owl is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

Great Horned Owls are some of the earliest-breeding birds in North America The Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, is a very large owl native to North and South America. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range, though it is not as widespread as the Barn Owl. Great Horned Owl The breeding habitat of the Great Horned Owl extends almost throughout both North America and South America. More

The male great horned owl is smaller than the female and has a much lower-pitched call. Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man: Illustration: Great horned owl compared with adult man The great horned owl is the most common owl of the Americas, easily recognizable because of the feather tufts on its head. These "plumicorns" resemble horns or, to some, catlike ears. More

Individual Great Horned Owls range in length from 18-27 in (46–68 cm) and have a wingspan of 40-60.5 in (101–153 cm); Females are larger than males, an average adult being 22 in (55 cm) long with a 49 in (124 cm) wingspan and weighing about 3.1 lbs (1400 g). Bergmann's Rule generally holds: larger individuals are found toward Polar regions, smaller toward the Equator. Great Horned, Located in south Manitoba (B. v. More

The Great Horned Owls call is from 3 to 8 hoots, most often six. It is called a More

Northwestern Great Horned Owl (lagophonus); Labrador Great Horned Owl (heterocnemis); St. Michael Great Horned Owl (algistus); Western Great Horned Owl (pallescens) Pacific Great Horned Owl (pacificus); Tundra Great Horned Owl (subarticus); hoot owl; chicken owl; eagle owl; king owl. Subspecies: Strictly speaking the Great Horned Owl is only found in the Americas. It has sometimes been considered to be part of the Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) species that is spread across Eurasia. More

Great Horned Owl, Wood Notes Wild, Simeon Pease Cheney, 1892 B Great Horned Owl.gif (1336 bytes) Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae Genus: Bubo Species: virginianus La. strix, strigis owl La. forma form, shape, kind La. bubo eagle-owl La. virginianus for Virginia Largest North American Owl, about two feet long with a four foot or greater wing span. More

The great horned owl may be the most efficient predator that has ever lived. Its approach to hunting is based on a combination of stealth, remarkable powers of prey detection, and the application of strength all out of proportion to its size. Victims of a Great Horned Owl’s silent aerial attack typically are not aware of the owl’s presence until they are within the vice-like grip of the owl's talons. More

desert to suburban backyards, the Great Horned Owl is one of the most widespread and common owls in North America. More

Great Horned Owls can be easily confused with the Magellanic Horned Owl (B. magellanicus) and other eagle-owls. They are all generally allopatric though. Subspecies A large number of subspecies have been named. As indicated above, many of these are only examples of individual or clinal variation. Subspecies differences are mainly in color and size and generally follow Gloger's and Bergmann's Rules: * Common Great Horned Owl, B. v. More

Case 2: Nestling Great Horned Owl in substitute nest basket reunited with parents by recorded call Case 3: Brancher Great Horned Owl on golf course rejects rescue attempts Case 4: Much younger nestling owlet fostered to family with a single brancher Case 5: Young nestling Great Horned Owl that could not be reunited because of crows Case 6: Great Horned Owl nestling reunited with its family in a laundry basket nest which is used by the owls for nine years More

Description: Great horned owls are the largest common owl in the east. They are dark brown, with a squared off head, gray mottled and streaked below, setting off the stark white throat patch. They also have prominent widely spaced ear tufts and large yellow eyes. Flight: Silent flight as with all owls. They have great power, sometimes "bullying" their way through thick cover to get at prey. Fringing on plumage and soft feathers on feet. Voice: Hoots. Whooo-whooo-whooooooo-who-who. More

of great horned owls was collected. The common name "horned owl" comes from the large ear tufts. Geographic Range Great horned owls occur all over the United States and most of Canada, and southward to Central and South America to the Straits of Magellan. They are one of the most widespread species of owls. They mostly reside year round in their territories, but ones from the far north move southward in fall or winter. More

Nicknamed the tiger with wings, the great horned owl is a fearless and feared bird of prey. It is one of the few animals that will kill a skunk, and it may eat more than 4,000 mice per year. Identification General description: The great horned owl is a large bird of prey with large yellow eyes and feather tufts that look like horns. That's where it gets its name. Length: Between 18 and 25 inches. Weight: From three to five pounds. More

Great horned owls hunt and make their home in densely wooded regions. They range throughout the Northern and Southern American continents. IDENTIFICATION Great horned owls are one of the larges and most powerful North American owls (the great gray owl and the snowy owl are larger). They have mottled brown/dark brown plumage, white throat feathers contrast with dark cross-barred underparts. The More

The Great Horned Owl is the largest owl to live year-round in Kansas. Adults weigh around 3 - 3 1/2 pounds and have a 5 foot wingspread. There are nine other species of owls that are known from Kansas, ranging in size from the tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl to the Snowy Owl, which is slightly larger than the Great Horned Owl. Both these species are winter visitors only. More

* The Great Horned Owl: Discover A World Of Natural Beauty 1 vote, average: 1.00 out of 51 vote, average: 1.00 out of 51 vote, average: 1.00 out of 51 vote, average: 1.00 out of 51 vote, average: 1.00 out of 5 (1. More

The Great Horned Owl is one of Canada's most common large birds of prey. More

The Great Horned Owl is sometimes called a "night tiger." Owls can't turn their heads all the way around - only about 180o! This is one of the only animals that will hunt a skunk. One widespread superstition is that an owl's hoot warns of misfortune. More

The Great Horned Owl was adopted as Alberta's provincial bird on May 3, 1977, by a province wide children's vote. Distribution/Location General: The Great Horned Owl is one of Canada's most common birds of prey (raptors) and lives here (and throughout North America) year round. This owl hunts only at night and is most easily identified by its large size and feathery ear tufts (horns). More

Great Horned OwlThe great horned owl is probably best known for the large tufts of feathers on its head that look like horns. It has big cat-like eyes and brown white, gray, and black markings that look like the bark of a tree. These markings help camouflage it in the woods. It has a wing span of over four feet and it is about two feet in height. Range The great horned owl has a very large range. More

There are about ten different subspecies of Great Horned Owls in its present range, and they vary in size and color; however, the general appearance of each race is similar. In the New World, only the Great Gray Owl and the Snowy Owl are larger. The Great Horned Owl is characterized by large ear tufts, yellow eyes, an owl’s facial disk, a lack of a visible neck, and feathers down to the talons. More

Great Horned Owl Pictures, great pictures of great horned owls in nature = Here is our collection of great horned owl pictures. This collection is going to get larger as the weeks go by. We love great horned owl photos and we are going to increase the number of great horned owl pictures in this section very soon. More

The Great Horned Owl can be found over most of North and Central America and some of South America. It is a very large and powerful owl. Here you will find photos, recordings and a brief field notes section to help identify and enjoy this beautiful owl. A more in depth write up and range map can be found in its natural history page (the Biology link). To jump immediately to any of these sections use the Page Jump Links below. More

The Great Horned Owl was first seen in the Virginia colonies, so its species name was created from the Latinised form of the name of this territory (originally named for Queen Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen"). The first published description was made in 1788 by Johann Gmelin. Great Horned Owls are sometimes known as Hoot Owls, Cat Owls or Winged Tiger. Description: Great Horned Owls can vary in colour from a reddish brown to a grey or black and white. More

The Great Horned Owl is found thoughout the American continent, from Alaska & Northern Canada down to southern most tip of South America, it is not found in the West Indies or Hawaii. It is found in the majority of regions found throughout the Americas, including woodlands, mountains, deserts & coastal swamps, which make it unique amongst the owls. More

The Great Horned Owl is a phenomenal hunter. When it recognizes the sound of prey, it will hop from tree to tree until it pinpoints the source. Then it silently swoops in with its talons wide and pounces on the unsuspecting prey. More

The Great Horned Owl is the second largest owl in North America, exceeded only by the Snowy (Nyctea scandiaca). Unlike this close relative though, there are many subspecies across the continent, each of which can be identified by specific colour variations. Indeed, this species can vary in colouration even within a small region, but the most dramatic differences are between birds from different latitudes. Lighter owls tend to exist predominently in northern areas, while darker birds inhabit more temperate regions. More