Great horned owl
The great horned owl is a distinctive bird known for its unique horn-shaped feather tufts and impressive size, typically measuring 18 to 25 inches long and weighing between 2 to 5.5 pounds. Found throughout the Americas, this solitary and nocturnal raptor inhabits a wide range of environments, including forests, deserts, and farmland. Adapted for low-light conditions, it possesses large, round eyes and silent flight, allowing it to effectively hunt small mammals, birds, and other creatures at night. The owl's plumage varies based on its habitat, with lighter feathers in arid and snowy areas and darker shades in humid regions.
Great horned owls are known for their social behavior during the breeding season, which occurs in January and February. Females lay one to four eggs, which they incubate for about 30 to 37 days before the owlets hatch. Young owls begin to leave the nest at six weeks but are not proficient flyers until approximately 9 to 10 weeks old. While they face predation from other animals such as foxes and raccoons, great horned owls are not considered threatened and can live up to 30 years in captivity or up to 50 years in the wild. Interestingly, the great horned owl has been woven into various legends and superstitions, often associated with omens of death or misfortune.
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Great horned owl
The great horned owl was given the name horned for the horn-shaped tufts of feathers on either side of its head. The great horned owl has appeared in many legends and folktales over the centuries. One superstition says that the hoot of a great horned owl warns of death or misfortune. The great horned owl can be found throughout the Americas.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Bubo
Species: Virginianus
The great horned owl generally grows to between 18 to 25 inches (46 and 63 1/2 centimeters) long and weighs between two and 5 1/2 pounds (one and 2 1/2 kilograms). It was given the name horned for the horn-shaped tufts of feathers located on both sides of its head. Like many other owls, the great horned owl has large, round eyes which help it to see in very little light. The plumage, or feathering, of the great horned owl depends on the owl's location. In the desert and in snowy regions the great horned owl has pale plumage, while in more humid areas its plumage is much darker.
The great horned owl inhabits a variety of environments which include forests, deserts, prairies, farmland, and low mountain areas. It may be found throughout most of North and South America. Smaller great horned owls usually live in tropical lowland forests and deserts, while larger ones may be found at higher altitudes. In general, the great horned owl is a solitary bird, or a bird which lives alone, but during the breeding season it is a more sociable creature.
Like other owls, the great horned owl is nocturnal, or night-active. It spends its nights hunting for small birds, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, rodents, and other small mammals. This diet makes the great horned owl a carnviore, or meat-eater. When hunting, the great horned owl sits very still and slowly turns its head to watch for prey. The great horned owl can turn its head half-way around its body to see what is behind it. When a possible item of prey catches the great horned owl's eye, the bird swoops toward the unsuspecting animal and snatches it with its long, sharp claws. The great horned owl's feathers and wings are designed so that their flying and swooping makes very little noise.
Like other owls, the great horned owl swallows its prey whole. The owl's strong digestive juices break the prey apart and keep the nutrients from the prey's body. The great horned owl regurgitates, or spits-up, the remains, such as bones, fur, and feathers, in pellets which are each about one inch (2 1/2 centimeters) long. Scientists use these pellets to learn more about the diet of the great horned owl.
As a nocturnal creature, the great horned owl mates at night. Mating takes place during January and February. Pairs of great horned owls makes their nests in holes in trees or between rocks, or they may take over the twig-and-stick nests of other birds. After mating, the female great horned owl lays between one and four round, white eggs. She lays these eggs over a period of several days. The female incubates, or warms, her eggs by gently resting on them while they develop. After 30 to 37 days the owlets, or young owls, begin hatching from their eggs. Owlets begin to leave the nest when they are about six weeks old, but do not fly well until they are between nine and 10 weeks old.
Other great horned owls, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, crows, ravens, and falcons may prey on great horned owls. The life span of the great horned owl is 30 years in captivity although they may live up to 50 in the wild. They are not a threatened species.
Bibliography
Polan, Jason. “Great Horned Owl - Audubon Field Guide.” National Audubon Society, 2024, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/great-horned-owl. Accessed 8 May 2024.
Shaw, Allyson. “Great Horned Owl.” National Geographic Kids, 2024, kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/great-horned-owl. Accessed 8 May 2024.