Great Horned Owls: The Silent Hunters in Your Backyard

As dusk settles across the U.S., a haunting call may drift through the air — hoo hoodoo hoooo hoo. The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) is more often heard than seen, but its presence transforms any landscape into wild theater.

Quick Facts

• Latin name: Bubo virginianus
• Range: Widespread across North and Central America, parts of South America
• Habitat: Adaptable — deserts, forests, suburbs, city parks. Prefers regrown forests with mid-size trees for nesting and open hunting space.
• Activity: Year-round residents. Most vocal during winter nesting/territorial defense.

Masterpiece of Adaptation

Those iconic "horns" aren't ears — they're feather tufts of uncertain purpose (display? camouflage?). Real ears are asymmetrical, hidden behind facial feather disks that funnel sound. The owl can rotate its head 270°. Soft, serrated flight feathers break up airflow, making it nearly silent in flight — a deadly advantage.

Plumage varies regionally: white/gray dominance in snowy regions, darker banding in the Pacific Northwest, reddish tones elsewhere. Females are larger than males but share the same patterning.

Formidable Predators

Great horned owls eat an astonishing range of prey: rabbits, rodents, skunks (they can't smell the spray), birds up to hawk size, even house cats. Their grip requires 28 pounds of force to pry open. They sever prey's spine instantly. They'll hunt animals larger than themselves.

Attracting Them to Your Property

Let them find you. If you have ample prey (small mammals, birds) and nesting habitat (large trees, cliffs, occasionally nest boxes), they'll move in. They reuse other raptors' nests in cottonwood, juniper, beech, pine, etc., sometimes lining them with bark, feathers, or pellets.

Nesting occurs November–February (1–4 eggs). Female incubates ~1 month; male provides food. She rarely leaves the nest in cold weather or if predators threaten.

Owl Relatives Worth Knowing

• Burrowing owl: Ground-dwelling, uses abandoned burrows. Endangered/threatened in many states. Year-round in FL/Southwest; summer on Central Plains.
• Barn owl: Consumes 2,000+ rodents per breeding season. Nest box plans available — nature's rodent control.

Want to identify owl calls, build nest boxes, or learn about feathers? Cornell Lab of Ornithology's YardMap project connects thousands of citizen scientists documenting backyard bird habitat.