Great Horned Owl

The Great Horned Owl is one of the largest and most powerful owls in North America, instantly recognizable by its prominent ear tufts ("horns"), large yellow eyes, and a mottled brown-and-gray body with fine barring below and a bold white throat patch. Its heavily feathered legs and feet end in powerful talons capable of exerting tremendous crushing force, allowing it to take prey much larger than itself.

Few North American predators are as broadly adaptable, and the Great Horned Owl thrives in an enormous range of habitats, from dense forest to open desert to city parks, making it one of the most widespread and successful owls on the continent.

Key Field Marks

• Prominent ear tufts set well apart on the head
• Large yellow eyes surrounded by a rusty-to-grayish facial disk
• Mottled gray-brown plumage with fine horizontal barring on the underparts
• Bold white throat patch, visible especially when calling

Similar Species

• Long-eared Owl: smaller and slimmer with ear tufts set closer together and vertical (not horizontal) streaking below.
• Great Gray Owl: much larger-headed with no ear tufts and a distinctive concentric facial disk pattern.

Range

Great Horned Owls are found throughout nearly all of North and South America, from the subarctic boreal forests of Canada and Alaska south to the tip of South America.

Habitat

This species occupies an extraordinarily broad range of habitats, including deciduous and coniferous forests, deserts, wetlands, grasslands, and urban and suburban parks, making it one of the most habitat-generalist owls in the Americas. It is non-migratory, remaining on territory year-round.

Hunting

Great Horned Owls are powerful, opportunistic predators that take an unusually broad range of prey, from small rodents to skunks, rabbits, and even other raptors, striking with exceptionally strong talons and largely silent flight thanks to specialized wing feathers.

Voice

The classic call is a deep, resonant series of hoots, often rendered as "hoo-h'HOO-hoo-hoo," used in territorial defense and pair communication; pairs often duet, with the female's voice typically higher-pitched than the male's.

Nesting

Great Horned Owls do not build their own nests, instead taking over old nests built by hawks, herons, or squirrels, or using tree cavities, cliff ledges, or human structures. They are among the earliest nesting birds in North America, often laying eggs in the depths of winter.