Great Horned Owl    Bubo virginianus

Orphaned owlet photos.

The great horned owl is the largest of the owls in North America with ear tufts, and is one of the largest and most powerful owls overall in North America. With its large sensitive eyes and exceptional hearing, it is adapted to hunt under the darkest cover of night.  It is not uncommon, however, for a great horned owl to hunt during the day under the deep cover of woods.

Similar in size and closely related to the Eurasian Eagle Owl, these birds have the reputation of being ferocious predators.  With a diet including such large animals as chickens, turkeys and skunks, some regard it as a pest and will shoot one on sight.  In fact, the great horned owl is a master at controlling rodent populations and should be revered as such.

Like many birds of prey, a great horned owl swallows its food whole or in large pieces, including bones, fur or feathers.  Once the digestive system distinguishes digestible from non-digestible foods, the latter is regurgitated in the form of a pellet.  These pellets are of great value to biologists because even an unseen bird’s feeding habits may be extensively studied.

As exhibited in most owls, the great horned owl does not make its own nest.  It may move into a nest once occupied by a hawk, eagle or crow, to make its home.  These owls are non-migratory, so the eggs are laid early in the year, before the nest owner returns from their winter home. The female alone incubates her 2 to 3 eggs, laid on different days during a week, until they hatch, then the male joins the rearing process by helping the female gather food and feed the owlets.  These owlets remain in the nest for 9 to 10 weeks before learning to fly, at which time, they fledge (leave the nest) to hunt and subsist on their own.  The owlets leave the nest, as many winter migrants are returning.

The repetitive “Whoo!” of the Great Horned Owl appeals to the nostalgic sense of people, as the sound has been taught to generations of young naturalists.