RANGE: North and South America, from the Arctic to Straits of Magellan, except the West Indies.

HABITAT: Varied, from forests, deserts, open country and swamps to city parks.

SIZE: LENGTH: 22 inches
WINGSPAN: 56 inches
WEIGHT: 2-4 pounds

LIFE EXPECTANCY:
WILD: 15-20 years
CAPTIVITY: 25-30 years

REPRODUCTION: Owls in general are terrible nest builders. Because the great horned owl is so aggressive a pair can drive most other birds off of their nests. These birds are notorious nest stealers, driving off red-tails and even eagles. They also nest in natural cavities or just in the crook of a tree. In this area the great horned owl breeds in December and has eggs in the nest by January. Incubation period of 26-35 days. This is always the first raptor to have young in the nest, and this means that great horned owl chicks will have an advantage over other young raptors because they have more time to practice hunting before the winter comes. The chick's eyes open around day 10, they venture out of the nest and become "branchers" at 5-6 weeks old. They fly short distances at 6.5 weeks and are proficient fliers at 10-12 weeks of age. They stay with the parents until early summer and continue to roost and hunt in parents home range until the fall when they are forced to leave.

DIET: Anything that they can carry off (up to 3x the weight of the bird): from insects and scorpions to domestic cats and woodchucks, can take birds as large as geese and herons.

BEHAVIOR: Extremely aggressive hunter, known as the "tiger of the sky". Have been known to attack duck decoys. When there is plenty to eat they will pick out the choicest parts of prey and then hide the rest. The male great horned owl has a 5 note call, the female has a 7 note call. These are non-migratory birds in general but the northern most factions will move south if prey becomes scarce. Usually a nocturnal hunter but will hunt on a cool, overcast day or on a sunny day if feeding young. In courtship displays both sexes hoot while bowing, lowering wings and raising tail simultaneously.

POINTS OF INTEREST: They have what is called cryptic coloration, a mottled coloration which allows them to blend in with their surroundings. They are all shades of brown and gray with white feathers under the chin. They have large yellow eyes and widely spaced prominent ear tufts called Plumicorns. These plumicorns have nothing to do with hearing-- their function is to show expression, like our eyebrows. This is the largest of the North American tufted owls. Their feet can exert up to 500 lbs. of pressure per square inch. They cannot clearly see objects that are closer than 3 feet. They have many more rod cells in their eyes than we do and this allows them to gather all of the available light at night for hunting. Their eyes have few cone cells, and therefore they see little color, just shades of gray. Their ears are symmetrically located on the edge of the facial disc behind the eyes. The facial disk is fringed with short, stiff feathers that gather and amplify sounds. Their flight feathers on the wings are barbed, but these barbs don't interlock and as they allow the air to pass through them they achieve silent flight. Flights have been clocked at 40 miles per hour. Nocturnal counterpart of Red-tailed hawk.

STATUS: This is a common raptor. It's ecological adaptability and secretive nature aid its success despite persecution.