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.
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.