Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
The Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) is a common owl found in 21 countries, weighing about 1.6 kg. The great horned owl, also known as the tiger owl or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas.
About the Great Horned Owl
The great horned owl, also known as the tiger owl or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas. Its diet consists primarily of rabbits and hares, rats and mice, and voles; it remains one of the few regular predators of skunk. Hunting also includes rodents, larger mid-sized mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
What the Great Horned Owl sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in St. Pierre & Miquelon.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in April. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Watch the Great Horned Owl on live cams
- Window to Wildlife CamsFlorida, USA · Returns December
- Bonnie and Clyde, Great Horned OwlsKansas, USA · Streaming now
- Charlo Great Horned Owl CamCharlo, Montana, USA · Returns March
- Wildflower Center Great Horned OwlsAustin, Texas, USA · Returns February
Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Great Horned Owl?
- The great horned owl is generally colored for camouflage. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Great Horned Owl?
- The Great Horned Owl is a huge sized bird weighing about 1.6 kg.
- Where can you see a Great Horned Owl?
- The Great Horned Owl occurs in 21 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.
- What does a Great Horned Owl sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Great Horned Owl on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Great Horned Owl?
- The Great Horned Owl is most easily confused with the Snowy Owl, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl and the Spotted Eagle-Owl.
- Is the Great Horned Owl endangered?
- The Great Horned Owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Great Horned Owl for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.