| The Great Horned Owl is found all across North America, it is a reasonably common bird and is sometimes
referred to as a tiger owl or a cat owl, its scientific name is Bubo
Virginianus. Identification: The bird varies in colour depending on its habitat, however it is
always identifiable by its prominent ear tufts. Its wings, back, and tail are normally mottled with a dark
brown with a base colour that varies from yellow in desert habitats to white in snowy habitats. Another
identifiable feature is its white throat, its belly is white as well although this is banded with
brown. The bird is reasonably large, it is roughly 2 feet long with a wingspan of around 4 or 5 feet. The
males normally produce cries of 5 resonant hoots, with the females producing higher pitched hoots in
shorter sequences. Behaviour: The Great Horned Owl hunts normally at night, taking advantage of
its good night vision and excellent hearing, it watches prey from a high perch before swooping down to
seize its prey in its talons. The owl is aggresive and views most things smaller than it as prey
including, possums, snakes, scorpions, rabbits, hawks, geese, smaller owls, frogs, lizards, insects,
squirrels, fish, and even skunks, the smell of which can occasionally be found on the owls plumage. The
owl has also been known to attack porcupines, which frequently results in death for both parties. The
owls can cover large distances searching for hunting grounds however they follow no fixed migration
patterns. Breeding: To win a mate the male feeds the female and performs a display flight. The
breeding takes place very early, sometimes in northern areas it takes place in late winter to provide time
to teach the young how to hunt before the next winter. Frequently the owl moves into an old nest belonging
to another large bird, it tends to nest between 20 and 60 feet above the ground, it can also use tree
stumps, cliff ledges or even the ground, although it does require some form of cover. Little extra material is added to the nest
except for occasional feathers. They normally lay around 2 or 3 eggs, very rarely going above 5. The
female does most of the incubating, which lasts for around 4 or 5 weeks. Both of the parents take
responsibility for feeding the young. The young owls can climb out of the nest and onto branches at 5
weeks, however they cannot fly until their ninth or tenth week. They stay in the nest for several months
being cared for by the parents. | 
