The great horned owl, also known as the tiger owl or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.
The great horned owl is found throughout all of North America or sparingly South America. They nest in trees found in forests, mountains, deserts, tundras, coasts and even urban areas.
Diet[]
Great horned owls are predatory birds and eat a wide variety of prey. Rodents are their preferred meal and they make up the majority of their diet. It is estimated that a family of owls with two offspring would need to take about a half dozen (voles) to a dozen (mice) of these rodents every night to satisfy their dietary requirements but apparently the accessibility and abundance of these foods is irresistible as their numeric dominance is indisputable. Other mammals include voles, rabbits, bats and skunks.
Birds are also their favourite prey, particulary waterfowl. They will also go after reptiles and amphibians if no prey is available
Family Life[]
Great horned owls are some of the earliest-breeding birds in North America, seemingly in part because of the lengthy nightfall at this time of year and additionally the competitive advantage it gives the owl over other raptors.
During courtship in late fall or early winter, the male attracts the attention of his mate by hooting emphatically while leaning over (with the tail folded or cocked) and puffing up his white throat to look like a ball. He often flies up and down on a perch, while approaching the potential mate. Eventually, he comes to approach the female and tries to rub his bill against hers while repeatedly bowing. If receptive, the female hoots back when the pair meet but is more subdued in both her hoot and display. The male may convince the female by bringing her freshly caught prey, which they will share.
Many nests are in cavernous hollows of dead trees or their branches, and especially in southern states in large trees along the edge of old-growth lots. Most tree nests used by great horned owls are constructed by other animals, often from a height of about 4.5 to 22 m (15 to 72 ft) off the ground. They often take over a nest used by some other large bird, sometimes adding feathers to line the nest but usually not much more.
After laying the eggs, the female alone usually does all the incubation and rarely moves from the nest, while the male owl captures food and brings it to her, with the first nightly food delivery typically occurring soon after dark. When first hatched the young are covered in whitish gray down, with some brownish about the wings. Gradually the soft juvenal downy plumage comes through the down, being typically a cinnamon-buff color, but with variable hues predicting the eventual color of the mature owls. The extent of down gradually diminishes, developing mature-looking plumage by late summer, although many first year birds still have scattered bits of down into autumn. By late autumn, first-year birds look similar to adults but with a slightly warmer, reddish tinge, less well developed ear tufts and a smaller white throat patch
.jpg "Owl, Great Horned (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad).jpg (49 KB)")
_Owl.png "Look at Me (Steve Jenkins) Owl.png (1.37 MB)")
_Great_Horned_Owl.png "Claws (Heather Dakota) Great Horned Owl.png (185 KB)")
