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the Great Horned Owl

Picture
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus pacificus)

Who is the “tiger of the air?” It’s a great horned owl. This nickname originated with an early naturalist’s description of a “winged tiger” and because of their aggressive and powerful hunting.

This is a large owl with large ear tufts (no, those are not their ears) and bright yellow eyes. They have a thick body with broad and rounded wings. They are slightly larger than a red-tailed hawk but with a very short rounded head. Their length varies from 18 to about 25 inches, and they weigh from 32 to 88 ounces! The body is a mottled gray-brown, the facial disk is a reddish brown and a white patch is on their throat. Regionally, the color varies a bit from dark sooty gray to a pale gray and almost white in northern Canada.

Just to add to your vocabulary, the ear tufts are call “plumicorns.” This is from Latin: “pluma meaning small soft feather and “corn” meaning horn. It is theorized that these are a visual cue in territorial and sociosexual interactions with other owls.

This owl has a varied diet including rabbits and hares, rats and mice, voles, and any animal it can overtake. That can include mid-sized mammals, skunks, snakes, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. They hunt mostly at dusk or during the night swooping down from a high perch to capture prey in its talons. These talons have a good grip able to sever the spine of large prey. It requires a force of 28 pounds to open their talons. Their excellent hearing and sight allow hunting even in low light conditions. Though their eyes do not move in their sockets, great horned owls can swivel their heads more than 180 degrees for tracking and locating prey.

Great horned owls often swallow small prey whole. No wasted food here, but they cannot digest the fur, bones, or feathers of their prey. Their gizzard sorts all of this, passing the soft tissues through to be digested and forming the indigestible parts into an oval mass. The mass is passed back up the digestive system and regurgitated as a “pellet” a few hours after eating.

This owl nests early in the year, weeks and even months before other raptors. This gives the young plenty of time to grow and learn to hunt before the next winter. They will usually nest in trees, using the  old nest of another large bird or nest on a cliff ledge or tree stump. Typically, they lay 2 to 3 dull whitish eggs which the female incubates for 28-35 days. Both parents will hunt and provide food for the growing owls. At about five weeks of age, the young will climb on a nearby branch earning the nickname “brancher” until they are ready to fly at about 9-10 weeks. The parents tend and feed the young for several months.

Great horned owls are native to North America and found everywhere, in practically all habitats. They are at home in swamps, deserts, forests, woodlots, backyards, cities and open country. During breeding season, they will move to areas with trees and heavy brush that provide cover.  

The oldest great horned owl was found in Ohio in 2005 and was at least 28 years old.

Tri County Wildlife Care, a local nonprofit started in 1994, is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of our native wildlife and helping our community live in balance with wildlife. They envision a world where wildlife and people thrive together. For more information call (209) 283-3245, or visit pawspartners.org.


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  • Home
    • SiteMap
  • APAL
    • A-PAL History >
      • A-PAL Humane Society Leadership Team
      • APAL Leadership Opportunities
    • APAL Programs >
      • Save the Kittens
      • Spay or Neuter
      • Second Chance K9 >
        • TCK9-2014 Graduates
      • Community Cats >
        • Understanding Feral Cats
        • How to Trap a Feral Cat
      • Special Needs >
        • Special Needs Stories
      • Adopt a Friend
      • Trap-Neuter-Return
      • APAL Tracking Our Progress
    • Support A-PAL >
      • Volunteer for APAL
      • Foster for A-Pal
      • Donate to A-PAL >
        • Donate your Car
        • Giving Tuesday 2020
      • A-PAL Wish List
      • A-PAL Facility Sponsor
    • APAL Events >
      • APAL Calendar
      • APAL Past Events >
        • SantaPaws2019
        • Bark in the Park 2019
        • Whiskers and Wine 2017
        • Whiskers and Wine 2014
        • Bark in the Park 2014
        • Whiskers and Wine 2015
        • Bark In The Park 2015
        • Maui Raffle
        • Santa Paws 2015
    • Partners >
      • Shelter Partners >
        • Shelter Partners on TSPN
        • Dec14News-PitBulls
        • Jan15News-Excel
        • Feb15News-BenefitsOfPets
        • Feb15News-HarmfulAlgaeBlooms
        • Mar15News-Hoarding
        • Apr15News-TNR
        • Sep15News-QAMargeB
        • Oct15News-ButteFire
        • Oct15News-Bats
        • Nov15News-SeparationAnxiety
        • Dec15News-Tips4Treats
        • Jan16-Volunteer
        • Apr16-TNR
        • July16News-Center
        • Sep16News-ACART
        • Nov17News-ServiceDogs
      • ACART >
        • Prepare
        • Volunteer
        • ACART Annual Banquet
        • ACART Wish List
  • TCWC
    • Find an animal in need? >
      • Audio Wildlife Tips
      • WhereAreWe
    • TCWC History >
      • TCWC Leadership Team
      • TCWC Leadership Opportunities
    • Wildlife Programs >
      • Education >
        • TCWC Education Events >
          • TCWC Education Animals
        • WildlifeSavesUs
        • Living Wildlife Friendly >
          • Songbird Concert Tips
          • Holiday Trash
          • Alert Your Birds
          • Water to Help the Critters!
          • Bread is for Sandwiches
          • No Dogs Allowed
          • Repurpose to Feed the Birds
          • GoNative
          • Netting It Out
          • Balloons
          • E-Waste
          • Organic Food
          • AllThatGlitters
          • Fly Strips and Glue Traps
          • Toxic Household Products
          • Recycling Pumpkins
          • Tree Trimming Tips
          • Saving Venomous Species
        • Nuisance Wildlife >
          • Nuisance-SayNoToTrapping
          • Foxlights
          • Wildproof Your Home
        • Gold Country Critters
        • Keep Them Wild and Free
        • TCWC Videos
        • Points to Ponder
      • TCWC-Tracking Our Progress >
        • TCWC 2014 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2015 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2016 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2017 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2018 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2019 Impact Report
      • TCWC Patients >
        • Success Stories >
          • 1 - Opossum Call
          • 2 - Raccoon Behind the Grill!
          • 3 - Saving a Raven
          • LongTripHome
          • Anita's Bird Comes Home
          • College the Wild Way
          • Releases
        • TCWC Critter Show
    • TCWC Events >
      • TCWC Calendar >
        • GivingTuesday2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeClasses2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeWorkshop2020
        • Paws&Claws2020
      • Past TCWC Events >
        • Paws & Claws 2019
        • No Dinner-Dinner
        • Paws&Claws 2018
        • AnimalScapes
        • Paws & Claws 2016
        • TCWC Grand Opening
        • Wildlife Workshop 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2014
        • Hot Rod Heaven 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2015
        • Paws&Claws2017
        • Paws&Claws2018
        • TCWC-No Shower Baby Shower
    • Support TCWC >
      • Giving >
        • Shop-Create
        • TCWC Wish List
        • Donate to TCWC >
          • DonateCarToTCWC
      • Volunteer at TCWC
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  • Support
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    • Blog
  • Gratitude
    • TCWC-Gratitude >
      • BusinessSupporters
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        • Cockrill
        • Glenyce
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliations
    • Links >
      • ContentSubmissionForm
    • Critter Chronicles >
      • Watson
      • Don't Fawn!
      • Art - the Cooper's Hawk
      • Mugsy-CommunityCat
      • Trash Kitty!
      • Gretchen&Ginger
      • MajesticBird
      • DuckTherapy
      • MrJunco
      • TheOddCouple
      • The Twins
      • WillToSurvive
      • MeetMandy
      • Furrever - Chloe
      • Charlie the Corgi
    • Kids
    • Shop >
      • Learn More >
        • Promote Our Store
        • Submit Art
      • Volunteer Gear
      • Shop These Stores
      • Shop PawsPartners
      • Shop TCWC
      • Shop A-PAL Humane Society
    • Site Credits