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Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianusOrder: STRIGIFORMES Family: True Owls (Strigidae)
Codes: Common Name: GHOW Scientific Name: BUBVIR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 177884
Least Concern
 
Great Horned Owl
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Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Great Horned Owl: Large owl with dark brown, gray-brown mottled upperparts and dark barred underparts. Head has distinct ear tufts and rufous facial disk. Throat and upper breast are white and may have dark spots. Northern birds are paler and grayer. Strong, silent, direct, flap and glide flight.

Range and Habitat

Great Horned Owl: Found throughout the forests of North, Central, and South America, from the Arctic to the Straits of Magellan. Preferred habitats include coniferous, mixed, and deciduous woodlands, areas along cliffs and rocky canyons, and forest openings.

Topo Map: Owl-like Body


Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"whoo! Whoo-whoo-Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!", "hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot"

Interesting Facts

 The Great Horned Owl will eat birds ranging in size from kinglets to Great Blue Herons and regularly eat other owls.

 The reintroduction of Peregrine Falcons has been hampered in some areas by owls killing both adult and nestling falcons.

 In frigid areas, where larger prey cannot be eaten quickly, they may let uneaten food freeze and then thaw it out later using their own body heat.

 A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a "bazaar", "glaring", "parliament", "stooping", and "wisdom" of owls.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

Splitbar
Range Map for Great Horned Owl

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Family True Owl (Strigidae)_blue
Species Bubo virginianus
Length18 - 25 Inches
Wingspan48 Inches

Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl: Large owl with dark brown, gray-brown mottled upperparts and dark barred underparts. Head has distinct ear tufts and rufous facial disk. Throat and upper breast are white and may have dark spots. Northern birds are paler and grayer. Strong, silent, direct, flap and glide flight.

● Song: "whoo! Whoo-whoo-Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!", "hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot"

● Foraging & Feeding: Great Horned Owl: Hunts primarily at night, preying on rabbits, woodchucks, mice, rats, squirrels, skunks, ducks, quail, and occasionally geese or turkeys. Like many owls, it eats small prey whole and regurgitates indigestible parts such as hair, feathers, and bones in the form of pellets.

● Breeding & nesting: Great Horned Owl: One to five dull white eggs are laid in an abandoned nest made by hawks or crows. Eggs are incubated for 28 to 35 days, mostly by the female.

● Similar species: Great Horned Owl: Long-Eared Owl is smaller, slimmer, has a darker throat, and has tufts set closer to the middle of head.

Flight Pattern

Direct flap and glide flight., Strong silent wing beats.
Great Horned Owl Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Great Horned Owl: Found throughout the forests of North, Central, and South America, from the Arctic to the Straits of Magellan. Preferred habitats include coniferous, mixed, and deciduous woodlands, areas along cliffs and rocky canyons, and forest openings.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationFairly common to common, Widespread
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight48 Ounces
Owl-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX