History (copy and paste in own words)

credit:

http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Bubo&species=virginianus
Page compiled by Deane P. Lewis.
OwlPages.com Owl Species ID: 090.010.000 - Page last updated 2008-08-14
Houston, C. S., D. G. Smith, and C. Rohner. 1998. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). In The Birds of North America, No. 372 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great_Horned_Owl.html

Enemies:

The Great Horned Owl's only natural enemy is other Great Horned Owls, though occasionally other birds may try to get their eggs.
http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/birds/great_horned_owl.htm

The Great Horned Owl was first seen in the Virginia colonies, so its species name was from Latin made form of the name of this territory (originally named for Queen Elizabeth I). The first published description was made in 1788 by Johann Gmelin. Great Horned Owls are sometimes known as Hoot Owls, Cat Owls or the Winged Tiger

Description:

Great Horned Owls can be reddish brown ,gray ,white, or black. The underside is a light grey with dark bars and a white band of feathers on the upper breast. They have big yellow eyes that tend to stare, which look like a black dot with a yellow ring around it. The name was decided from the tufts of feathers that appear to be "horns" which are sometimes referred to as "ear tufts" but have nothing to do with hearing at all. The large feet are feathered to the ends of the toes. Females are ten to twenty percent larger than males Length 46-63.5cm (18-25") Wingspan 91-152cm (36-60") Weight 900-1800g (32-63.5 oz)Pellets are very large, about seven point six to ten point two cm (3- 4") long and three point eight cm (one point five") thick. Pellets are dark grayish-black and compact. Skulls as wide as three cm (1.2") are regurgitated whole. Pellets are regurgitated six to ten hours after .

Habits:

Activity generally begins at nightfall, but in some regions, may be seen in late afternoon or early morning. Both sexes may be very aggressive towards intruders when nesting.

Voice:

Great Horned Owls have a large range of sounds, from deep booming hoots to sharp shrieks. The male's territorial call "hoo-hoo hoooooo hoo-hoo" can be heard over several miles during a quiet night. Both sexes hoot, but males have a lower-pitched voice than females. They give a growling "krrooo-oo" or screaming sound when attacking intruders. Other sounds include a "whaaa whaaaaaa-a-a-aarrk" from disturbed birds, a catlike "MEEE-OWww", barks, hair-raising shrieks, coos, and beak snapping. There voice can sound like ventriloquism
. Most calling occurs from dusk to about midnight and then again just before dawn.

Hunting &Food:

Great Horned Owls hunt by perching on poles, telephone boxes and things watching for prey, or by gliding slowly above the ground like an eagle. From high perches they dive down to the ground with wings folded, before snatching prey. Prey are usually killed instantly when taken in by the large talons. A Great Horned Owl may take prey two to three times heavier than itself. They also hunt by walking on the ground to capture small prey or wading into water to snatch frogs and fish. They have been known to walk into chicken coops to make them prey. Rodents and small rabbits can be swallowed whole while larger prey are carried off and ripped apart on perches or at the nest. Birds are often plucked first, and legs and wing tips discarded. An extremely wide range of prey species (at least 253 identified) are captured, but rabbits and hares are its preferred prey. Mammal like prey includes all of these creatures that are there at the same time, or in the same place rodents, squirrels, mink, skunks, raccoons, armadillos, porcupines, domestic cats and dogs, shrews, moles, muskrats, and bats. Bird prey includes all other Owls (except Snowy Owl), grouse, woodpeckers, crows, turkeys, pigeons, Red-tailed Hawks, bitterns, Great Blue Heron, ducks, swans, gulls, etc. Reptiles include snakes, turtles, lizards, and young alligators. frogs, toads, and salamanders are the food they usually eat. Other foods include fish, large insects, scorpions, centipedes, crayfish, worms, spiders, and road killed animals.

Breeding:

Nesting season is in January or February when the males and females hoot to each other. They do not build a nest of their own but they use the nests of other birds such as the hawk, crow and heron. They may also use squirrel nests, hollows in trees, rocky caves, clumps of witches broom, abandoned buildings, or on fake platforms. They are extremely aggressive when defending the nest and will continue to attack until the intruder is killed or driven off. Normally, two to four eggs are laid and incubated by the female only for twenty-six to thirty-five days. Young start roaming from the nest onto nearby branches at six to seven weeks, they are called "branchers", but cannot fly well until nine to ten weeks old. They are fed for another few weeks . Families remain loosely associated during summer before young disperse in the autumn. Adults tend to remain near their breeding areas year-round while juveniles disperse widely, over two-hundred and fifty km (one-hundered and fifty miles) in the autumn. Territories are maintained by the same pair for as many as eight consecutive years, however, these Owls are solitary in nature, only staying with their mate during the nesting season. Average home ranges in various studies have been shown to be approximately two point five square km (one square mile).

Mortality:

A long-lived Owl, captive birds have been known to live twenty-nine to thirty-eight years, and wild Owls up to thirteen years. Most mortality is related to man - shootings, traps, road kills and electrocutions. The only natural enemies are other Great Horned Owls and, occasionally, Northern Goshawks during disputes over nest sites. Peregrine Falcons have also been observed attacking Great Horned Owls.

The Great Horned Owl will take large prey, even other raptorial birds. It regularly kills and eats other owls, and is an important predator on nestling Ospreys. The reintroduction of Peregrine Falcons has been hampered in some areas by owls killing both adult and nestling falcons.
The Great Horned Owl is a regular victim of harassment from flocks of American Crows. Crows congregate from long distances to mob owls, and may continue yelling at them for hours. The enmity of the crows is well earned, however, as the owl is probably the most important predator on adult crows and nestlings
Even though the female Great Horned Owl is larger than her mate, the male has a deeper voice. Pairs often call together, with audible differences in pitch.