Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl, common name for the only American representative of a group of 18 large owls collectively called eagle owls (see Owl). It is found on the mainland from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. As in many other owls, females are substantially larger than males. In the large eastern United States subspecies, males weigh from 1 to 1.6 kg (2.2 to 3.5 lb), whereas females weigh from 1.4 to 2.5 kg (3 to 5.5 lb).

The species is highly variable in color. The back, wings, and tail are mottled and barred with dark brown, with the ground color yellowish buff, tawny brown, or even, in the northernmost populations, pure white. The throat is white, and the remaining underparts are barred with black and white, the width of the dark bars also varying geographically. The conspicuous ear tufts or “horns” give the species its name.

These owls occupy a great variety of habitats, from subarctic coniferous forests to arid deserts and wooded city parks, nesting in trees, in caves, on cliff ledges, or on the ground. In the northeastern United States they are among the earliest birds to nest, the incubating parent often becoming snow-covered. They feed on almost any living prey, such as mammals from mice to small dogs, birds (including other owls), reptiles, and fish. They are among the few predators of skunks, whose scent often permeates the owl's plumage.

Scientific classification: The great horned owl belongs to the family Strigidae of the order Strigiformes. It is classified as Bubo virginianus. The subspecies found in the eastern United States is Bubo virginianus virginianus.