Class: Aves Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae Genus: Bubo Species: virginianus
The great horned owl is one of the largest and most powerful owls in North America. Recognizable by their large feather tuffs on the tops of their heads. With its large sensitive eyes and exceptional hearing, it is adapted for hunting under the darkest cover of night. It is not uncommon, however, for a great horned owl to hunt during the day under the deep cover of woods.
Similar in size and closely related to the Eurasian Eagle Owl, these birds have the reputation of being ferocious predators. Like many birds of prey, a great horned owl swallows its food whole or in large pieces, including bones, fur, or feathers. Once the digestive system distinguishes digestible from non-digestible foods, the latter is regurgitated in the form of a pellet. These pellets are of great value to biologists because even an unseen bird’s feeding habits may be extensively studied.
Great Horned Owls are found throughout the United States, Canada and into South America. As exhibited in most owls, the great horned owl does not make its own nest. It may move into a nest once occupied by a hawk, eagle or crow, to make its home. These owls are non-migratory, so the eggs are laid early in the year, before the nest owner returns from their winter home.
In the wild their diet includes rabbits, snakes, hawks, skunks, and porcupines. In fact, the great horned owl is a master at controlling rodent populations and should be revered as such. In captivity, their diet generally consists of rodents, quail, and chicken.
Help Feed Our Great Horned OwlsThe repetitive “Whoo!” of the Great Horned Owl appeals to the nostalgic sense of people, as the sound has been taught to generations of young naturalists.
The status of these owls in Illinois is listed as common and federally protected.
One of the reasons the Great Horned owl is such a fierce hunter is because its talons require a force of 28 pounds to open. This allows them to grip and sever the spine of large prey.
