Wild Facts About the Great Horned Owl

Which ferocious avian predator is among Canada’s largest raptors? The iconic great horned owl, of course. It’s one of North America’s most widespread owls, will eat anything that moves, and lives in nearly any type of habitat, from forests to swampy areas to suburban parks. Here are five great facts about our only horned bird, Bubo virginianus.

Hear This

Of course, a great horned owl’s “horns” aren’t horns. They’re also not ears. They’re groupings of feathers (called plumicorns) that in part, may help the owl with non-vocal communication. A threatened owl can raise its plumicorns to make itself appear larger, for example, to tell the threat, “You should back off, buddy. Because, look at me: I’m huge.” A great horned’s actual ears are located on either side of its head, and, similar to many other owl species, are offset — one is positioned higher than the other. This means that the owl can tell if a sound is coming from the left or the right along with from above or below. 

Who-Who-Who’s There?

Winter is a great horned owl’s noisiest time of year. Males start calling as early as late fall to establish their breeding territories, but by winter, they really crank up the dial as they court the ladies. Sometimes, mates will sound off in a back-and-forth duet: Hoo-hoo-ho-o-o. Females are about a third larger than males, but males have bigger voice boxes, so their calls are deeper. Before laying eggs (typically any time between January and March) females, instead of building a nest, settle into a tree cavity, or repurpose the empty nurseries of other birds such as hawks, crows, ravens, or herons. Why work hard when you don’t have to?

Hungry Like the Owl

These owls aren’t picky when it comes to their diet. They’ll primarily go for whatever is easy to catch: rabbits and hares, and various rodent species. But their strong talons — with a crushing power about eight times that of a human hand — means they have the physical ability to snap the spines of larger prey. They’re also willing to go after prey that other predators might avoid: skunks and porcupines. 

Living Large

In the owl universe, the bigger the species, the longer it usually lives; it has few, or no, natural predators. The oldest great horned owl on record was documented as being at least 28; on the other hand, the tiny Northern saw-whet owl — it’s about the size of an American robin — was recorded at just over nine years old. As long as a great horned owl can make it past the first year, its chances of surviving to its maximum typical adult lifespan, 15 years, are pretty strong, assuming it doesn’t succumb to human threats, for example, secondary poisoning from rodenticides. 

Myth Busting

In case there’s still any doubt, owls can’t rotate their heads 360 degrees. (No creature can. Well, except Linda Blair.) But they can swivel their heads up to 270 degrees — enough to look behind themselves — thanks to a skeletal and blood vessel structure that allows them to twist their necks without causing damage to the arteries that lead to their brains. Since their eyeballs can’t move in their sockets, this is the only way for them to see what’s to the left or right of them. Also, for the record, owls aren’t wise, or even especially smart; trainable birds such as pigeons and parrots are considered much more clever. This is probably why a pigeon would never attempt to eat a porcupine.