Great horned owl
Bubo virginianus
The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large ow
About the Great horned owl
The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") 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. In ornithological study, the great horned owl is often compared to the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), a closely related species, which occupies the same ecological niche in Eurasia despite its notably larger size. The great
Fun Facts About Great horned owl
- The great horned owl is also compared to the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), with which it often shares similar habitat, prey, and nesting habits by day; thus the red-tailed hawk is something of a diurnal ecological equivalent.
- The great horned owl is one of the earliest nesting birds in North America, often laying eggs weeks or even months before other raptorial birds.
- The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to 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.
Conservation Status
The Great horned owl is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This species is currently stable and not at significant risk of population decline.
Taxonomy & Classification
| Order | Saurischia |
| Family | true owls |
| Genus | Bubo |
| Species | Bubo virginianus |
Range & Habitat
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