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7th Place in the Birds of Prey Challenge!

Featured 12-01-10 in A Vision Of Flight Photography

Raptor Free Flight Demonstration
Tucson, Arizona
Canon Powershot Sx10IS

Great Horned Owl

A large powerful owl, resident in all habitats from the tundra edges to deserts and in to tropical America, Great Horned fills the ecological niches occupied during the day by Red-tailed Hawk.

Emerging at dusk, it surveys an open area from a favorite perch for just about any prey including skunks and opossums, snakes and scorpions. Even other owls and birds as large as grouse and American Bittern!. It can take prey weighting up to 3x its own body weight!

In flight this owl recalls buteo hawk, but it has a more compact wing shape and robust body.

VOICE Familiar duet of paired adults consist of low hooting, accelerating at first, then closing with 2 longer hoos. Smaller males

INTERESTING FACTS

• The Great Horned Owl will eat birds ranging in size from kinglets to Great Blue Herons and regularly eat other owls.
• The reintroduction of Peregrine Falcons has been hampered in some areas by owls killing both adult and nestling falcons.
• In frigid areas, where larger prey cannot be eaten quickly, they may let uneaten food freeze and then thaw it out later using their own body heat.
• A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a “bazaar”, “glaring”, “parliament”, “stooping”, and “wisdom” of owls.