BUBO VIRGINIANUS

HABITAT: FORESTS, WOODLANDS, STREAMSIDES, OPEN COUNTRY
L 22" WS 44" WT 3.1 lbs F>M * LIFESPAN UP TO 28 YRS

The Great Horned Owl is native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird and has a vast range, probably
the most wide spread of all the owls. Adults have large ear tufts which are not actually ears
but tufts of feathers. Their call is a low-pitched but loud ho-ho-hoo hoo hoo with the female's call
being higher and rising in pitch at the end of the call. Young owls make a hissing or screeching sound.

Great Horned Owls breed from subarctic North America through much of Central America and South America.
Adult Great Horned Owls are permanent residents of their territories, but unmated and younger birds move
about a lot in search of company and a territory. Their eggs, nestlings and fledgings are
preyed on by foxes, coyotes, and feral cats.

The eyes of Great Horned Owls are nearly as large as those of humans allowing spectacular vision both in
daylight and darkness. Their hearing is even better than their sight. The right ear is typically
placed higher on the head and tilted and by tilting or turning its head until the sound is the same in each
ear, an owl can pinpoint both the horizontal and vertical direction of a sound.

*MORE ABOUT GREAT HORNED OWLS*

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