Typical Owls

Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus

Family Strigidae (Typical Owls)

Size: 22"

Season: Year-round

Habitat: Almost any environment, from forests to plains to urban areas

Found throughout North America, the great horned owl is a large, strong owl with an obvious facial disk and sharp, long talons. Plumage is variable: Eastern forms are brown overall with heavy barring, brown face, and white chin patch; western forms are grayer and paler. The prominent ear tufts give the owl its name, and the 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 cat. The voice is a low hoo-hoo-hoo. The adult is illustrated.