Bird Guide

Eurasian Eagle-Owl vs Great Horned Owl

Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo)

Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Bubo bubo

Huge2.7 kgRocky

The Eurasian eagle-owl is among the larger birds of prey, smaller than the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), but larger than the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), despite some overlap in size with both of those species. It is sometimes referred to as the world's largest owl, although Blakiston's fish owl (K. blakistoni) is slightly heavier on average and the much lighter weight great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) is slightly longer on average. Heimo Mikkola reported the largest specimens of eagle-owl as having the same upper body mass, 4.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Eurasian Eagle-Owl
Recorded by Lionel Triboulin · Song · Arrondissement of Autun (near Marmagne), Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France · CC0
Photo: Flickr user indygnome · CC BY 2.0
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Huge1.6 kgForest

The great horned owl is generally colored for camouflage. The underparts of the species are usually light with some brown horizontal barring; the upper parts and upper wings are generally a mottled brown usually bearing heavy, complex, darker markings. All subspecies are darkly barred to some extent along the sides. A variable-sized white patch is seen on the throat. The white throat may continue as a streak running down the middle of the breast even when the birds are not displaying, which in particularly pale individuals can widen at the belly into a large white area. Voice: The great horned owl's song is normally a low-pitched but loud ho-ho-hoo hoo hoo (or also transcribed as bu-bubu booh, who-hoo-ho-oo or who-ho-o-o, whoo-hoo-o-o, whoo) and can last for four or five syllables. The call is resonant and has warranted descriptions as varied as "solemn" and "terrifying". The female's call is higher and rises in pitch at the end of the call.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Great Horned Owl
Recorded by Michael & Katie LaTour · Call · Anderson Township (near Cincinnati), Hamilton County, Ohio, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Eurasian Eagle-Owl and Great Horned Owl.