Species of the Month

October’s Species of the Month is another Halloween-related critter, just in time for the spooky holiday. Last year it was the little brown bat; this year we profile the great horned owl. Because they are primarily nocturnal, you are most likely to see one perched in the branches of a bare free, silhouetted against a full moon on a window cling or cardboard cutout decoration. 

Scientific name: Bubo virginianus

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Aves (birds)

Order: Strigiformes (owls)

Range: North and South America from northern Alaska to southern Brazil

Habitat: Nearly universal in their range: forest, grassland, desert, swamp, and urban areas

Lifespan: 13 years in the wild, on average

Diet: rabbits, rodents, insects, amphibians, crustaceans, reptiles         

Predators: crows, raccoons (egg depredation)

Conservation Status: No special protection

Owl in a tree, Eatonville, WA

Other Information: The great horned owl is specially adapted for night hunting. The large eyes make efficient use of low lighting, and the round face funnels sound to the ears. The ears are offset, one higher on the head than the other, allowing the bird to locate prey by sound with pinpoint accuracy. Feathers have special edging that make for silent flight. The “horns” are feathers, not ears, and may serve as camouflage. They mate for life, and find each other during hooting rituals. While males hoot all year, females only hoot during mating season. A clutch of one to six eggs per season is the norm, although the number of offspring is dependent on prey density. Great horned owls are one of the most widespread birds, ranging from the polar regions to the tropics. As such, individual diets vary depending on specific habitat and location. Nests generally are someone else’s abandoned nest, such as a squirrel’s. The owls I saw in Washington flew out of a barn when I approached it, and I observed pellets (undigested feathers and bones that are coughed up) and droppings but no nest.

Information on owls comes once again from University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web. 

Owlets (Missouri Department of Conservation photo)

Adult great horned own (Missouri Department of Conservation photo)