Are they endangered? No,
they are not endangered worldwide. (IUCN Red List least
concern)
What are their
past/present problems?
Their enemies are hunters and farmers that shoot them.
What do they look
like?
They have yellow eyes, white chin and neck, and brownish gray
bodies. They have a whitish belly with brown ‘stripes’. They
can be recognized by their ear tufts.
How big are they?
Great Horned Owls are 18-25 inches long. If their wings were
spread out, they would be 3-5 feet wide.
How many eggs do they
lay?
The females lay between 1 and 5 white eggs once a year that
hatch around a month.
How long do the
fledglings stay in the nest?
They like to nest in places that were left by larger birds, on
buildings, holes in trees, and places that are from 20-60 feet
off the ground. The young birds (owlets) stay in the nest 5 to
6 weeks.
When do they hunt?
They hunt at night (nocturnal) but sometimes in the daytime,
too.
What do they eat?
These owls like to eat mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and
They sometimes pick prey that is larger than they are.
They swallow their prey whole if it is small like a MOUSE!
Where do they live?
They live in North America, Central America, and South America.
What kind of place do
they like to live in?
These owls like to live in forests, deserts, cities, prairies,
low mountain places, and around farms.
Interesting facts:
The Great Horned Owl’s song is deep hoots of whoo!
Of all the owls that have ear tufts, the Great Horned
Owl is the biggest in North America.
These birds can sneak up on their prey because they
don’t make noise when they fly.
There is a superstition that says when you see one of
these birds, it means death.
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Works Cited:
Alsop,
Fred. Birds of North America. New York: DK Publishing,
2001.
