Great Horned Owl

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Common Names: Great Horned owl, hoot owl, cat owl, tiger owl, eagle owl, horned owl and king owl.

Scientific Name: Bubo viginianus.

Distinctive Markings: All great horned owls have distinctive ear tuffs. Overall coloring varies regionally.

Distinctive Behavior: One of the fiercest avian hunters in North American.

Song: "Whoo! Whoo - whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Sounds something like "You awake? Me too!" The female call is higher pitched.

Backyard Favorites: Large trees for rooting and hollow or broken trunks for nesting.

Key Facts: Sizes, Breeding, Lifestyle, and Related Species:

Sizes:
Height: 2 feet
Length: 18 to 25 in.
Wingspan: 3 to 5 ft.

Breeding:
Mating Season: Late winter. Usually around Autumn
Number of Chicks 1 to 2
Living with parents: about a month, both parents raise the chicks and
Nesting: One of t earliest nesters in North America. Finds abandoned red tailed hawk, eagle or squirrel nests or hollow trunks to lay one to three eggs in late winter. May also accept man made platforms.  Both parents incubate the eggs and feed young. The offspring leave the nest 2 to 3 weeks before they can fly.

Lifestyle:
Habitat: Wooded areas including suburban and urban parklands.
Diet: Primarily mice, rats and rabbits, but also small mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians.

Food for feathers:
Every evening, "Whoo! Whoo - whoo! Whoo! Whoo! would thunder through the woods. The great HOrned Owl is the largest and most powerful winged hunters in North America. Aggressive by nature, they can stalk and capture much lager animals. This is how they earned the Nick name Tiger Owl. They eat the normal prey of mice, rats, and rabbits, but have been known to attack, kill and eat Canada Geese, porcupines, skunks, snakes, domestic cans and even unsuspecting crows right off their night item roost. humans can and will be strict by nesting Great Horned Owls.

Great Horned owls have huge wingspans reaching 3 to 5 feet. They are silent fliers and have incredible night vision and hearing, making them fearsome hunters. Their ear tufts, make them appear somewhat catlike, and their coloring varies somewhat regionally, from brown to white, to help them better blend in with their natural surroundings.
What's most interesting about the Great Horned Owl is the two large "horns". They're actually tufts of feathers that look like ears, giving the bird catlike appearance, especially with its yellow eyes. Some people refer to it as the cat owl. while others call it a hoot owl.

Did You Know:
Great Horned Owls ear tufts don't really cover their ears.
Their ears are hidden so well , they are hidden by feathers on their head.

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