The Great Horned Owl, or Great Horned Owl, is one of the most magnificent species of owls. In this article about the facts of the Great Horned Owl, we will find out how she looks, where she lives and what she eats. So, let's begin…

Horned Owl Habitat

The Great Horned Owl lives in Central America and South America, is the most severe of the known species of owls. However, in North America she is in second place with the hardest - Snowy Owl.

The range of the horned owl is quite diverse. It can be found all the way from the northern part of the Subarctic to the rest of North America right up to Central America. From South America to the highlands of Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. From the point where the range of the Great Horned Owl ends in South America, the range of the Magellanic Horned Owl begins and continues right up to the tip of South America.

A horned owl is not picky about its habitat. She can take refuge anywhere - from the tops of trees to open areas and even in parks where there are a lot of people. Barns, churches, building peaks, abandoned buildings, arable land, pastures, wetlands, fields and even tropical forests, etc. are part of their habitat. They can even be found in cities.

It is worth noting that they really do not prefer to be in the Amazon rainforest. They can settle on trees bordering mixed, coniferous, deciduous, tropical forests, prairies, pampas, deserts, mountainous areas, rocky shores, subarctic tundra, mangrove swamps and urban areas.

The rapid decline in habitat and environmental changes often force them to be in areas close to humans.

Appearance

The color of the horned owl is for masking. The lower part (including the chest area) of the owl is usually lighter, with horizontal stripes of brown color. The upper wings, as well as the upper parts of the bird, are usually speckled brown and have heavy and dark complex marks. A white spot is often found on the neck, which can be like a strip to the middle of the chest.

The overall color of the Great Horned Owl can vary from region to region. In particular, those individuals that live in the subarctic region have a light yellow and blurred color. Others, living on the Pacific coast of North America, in much of South America and Central America, are known for their dark brownish color with blackish spots.

The plumage of a large owl is black. Feet are always covered with feathers. Feathers on the legs of this species are the second longest among all known species of owls.

The claws and beak of a large horned owl are dark gray. The face disc (which is present in all owls) may vary in color depending on the region. Color varies from gray and brown to reddish. The face disc is limited by a dark rim, which ultimately ends with blackening and bold side brackets.

In accordance with the physical characteristics, a large horned owl has a barrel-shaped and heavy physique. They have very wide wings and a large head. It is interesting to note that the size of the species may vary from region to region.For example, the smallest live in California and Texas, and the largest in Ontario and Alaska.

The average length of an adult large horned owl is 55 centimeters, but it can vary from 43 to 64 centimeters. The average wingspan of this species is 122 centimeters, but it can vary from 91 to 153 centimeters.

It is interesting to note that female horned owls are slightly larger in size than males. Females have an average body weight of 1,608 grams. The average body weight of men is 1224 grams.

The beak of this species is firm and inflexible. The size of the beak is from 3.3 to 5.2 centimeters. Interestingly, the open beak has dimensions from 2.1 to 3.3 centimeters.

Why do big horned owls need “horns”?

The so-called “horns” of the species are actually tufts of feathers that are known as “plumicorn”. The functions of beams are not yet fully understood by scientists. While scientists actually disagree on the function of the beams, they are unanimous in the fact that the beams do not play any role in the function of the hearing.

There is a hypothesis that these beams are designed to provide visual signals both in relations with the opposite sex, and in territorial interactions with other owls.

Feathers located on the sides of the head are known for covering or hiding the opening of the outer ear of owls. Interestingly, the right ear is slightly smaller than the left ear.

The eyes of a large horned owl are really large, but slightly smaller than humans. Owls are not able to turn their eyes. To look in the other direction, they need to turn their heads.They are able to rotate the neck up to 270 °. The iris is always yellow, with the exception of the South American owl, which, as you know, has an amber iris.

Interesting fact: a large horned owl has a very long neck, although this is not noticeable? They have 14 cervical vertebrae (in humans 7). They keep their neck tightened to an “S” shape, which remains covered with fluffy feathers in the neck, which explains why they seem to have a short neck.

Great Horned Owl Hunting Habits

Large horned owls eat much more food than other types of owls. They lead a nocturnal hunting lifestyle and their peak of hunting falls from 8:30 to 12:00 at night. Hunting time may again begin between 4:30 and dawn.

Their eyes are well adapted for night hunting, as they have wide and almost binocular vision. Owl eyes have a rod retina and a large surface of the cornea, which allows you to see perfectly in the dark.

At night, owls spend a lot of time in search of prey. As a rule, they are very patient and will wait for the production to go out into the open. Although a horned owl is usually a nocturnal hunter, it is also known that it can be hunted in broad daylight. These birds will wait for their prey from above, and then pursue through meadows, forest edges, wetlands, open waters and various other habitats.

If the prey is very small, owls can walk on the ground just to chase the prey around various obstacles and bushes.

What does a big horned owl eat?

Their food is really diverse, and these birds easily adapt to different foods.They mainly eat birds and mammals. Mostly eat tiny rodents, scorpions, mice, hares, geese, predators, American kittens and rabbits. However, they are also known to feed on bats, skunks, steppe dogs, marmots, woodchucks, squirrels, crows, hawks, pigeons, crows, starlings, grebes, mangans, loons, ducks, porcupines, ground squirrels, rats, field voles etc. They also eat insects, reptiles, invertebrates, fish and sometimes carrion. This species of owls is strictly carnivorous.

Owls are formidable hunters and can prey prey that is larger than their own size. However, unlike small prey, which they can swallow whole, they tear large prey into small pieces, using their powerful claws, and then consume.

Owl's claws are extremely powerful and they damage the spine of large prey, using a powerful grip to instantly paralyze the victim.