Great horned owl
The Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) is the largest owl in North America. It is sometimes called the hoot owl.
| Great horned owl | |
|---|---|
| |
| Common great horned owl B. v. virginianus | |
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| Coastal great horned owl, B. v. saturatus Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Delta, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Bubo |
| Species: | B. virginianus
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| Binomial name | |
| Bubo virginianus (Gmelin, 1788)
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| Subspecies | |
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About 12, see text | |
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| Global range (all year) of B. virginianus | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Strix virginiana Gmelin, 1788 | |
This widespread bird of prey lives in mountains, grasslands, conifer forests, deserts, chapparals, and many other habitats in North and South America. Its call is a far-carrying hoot.
Description
This owl is 18 to 25 inches (46-64 cm) long and has a wing span of 52 to 55 inches (1.3-1.4 m); its weight averages about 3 pounds (1.5 kg).
The feathers of the horned owl are gray to brown to buff to black. There is a patch of white feathers on the brown chest (called a "gular"). The eyes are yellow with round black pupils.
Diet
The great horned owl hunts and eats mammals (like rabbits, woodchucks, mice, rats, and squirrels), birds (ducks, quail, and geese), and fish.
The owl is at the top of the food web; it has no major predators. It sometimes eats its prey whole and later regurgitates the bones, fur, and feathers in pellets.
Great Horned Owl Media
Great horned owl showing much of its camouflage pattern/color
The eyes of great horned owls are among the proportionally largest of terrestrial vertebrates.
Great Horned Owl in Flight showing the wing
Talons, Great Horned Owl (Canada)
- Audacity was leveraged for noise learning / reduction; slight amplification (3 dB) applied. Audio was recorded with a Zoom H4N Pro.*bird-seen:yes*playback-used:no*Common name: Great Horned Owl*Type: call*Genus: Bubo*Species: virginianus*Location: Anderson Township (near Cincinnati), Hamilton County, Ohio*Country: United States*Elevation: 260 m
South American great horned owl (B. v. nacurutu) with its notably dark eyes
Northern great horned owl (B. v. subarcticus) in Manitoba
California great horned owl (B. v. pacificus) stretching, Bernal Hill Park, San Francisco
Coastal great horned owl (B. v. saturatus) at Grouse Mountain (North Vancouver, British Columbia)
Desert great horned owl (wet feathered) (B. v. pallescens) waiting out a rainstorm in the Mojave Desert
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References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2014). "Bubo virginianus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T61752071A61752159. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-2.RLTS.T61752071A61752159.en.
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