BIRDS: NONPASSERINES: TYPICAL OWLS

FL_Great_Horned_Owl.tif

Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus

Family Strigidae (Typical Owls)

Size: 22"

Season: Year-round

Habitat: Almost any environment, including forests, plains, and urban areas

Found throughout North America, the great horned owl is large and strong, with an obvious facial disk and sharp, long talons. Plumage is variable: Eastern forms are brown overall with heavy barring, a rust-colored face, and a white chin patch, while western forms are grayer. The prominent ear tufts give the owl its name, and its eyes are large and yellow. The great horned owl has exceptional hearing and sight. It feeds at night, perching on branches or posts and then swooping down on silent wings to catch birds, snakes, or mammals up to the size of a house cat. Its voice is a low hoo-hoo-hoo. The adult is illustrated.