Wildlife Guide · North America & South America
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
The powerful nocturnal hunter with feathered tufts
Image: Photo: Greg Hume / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In brief
The great horned owl is a large, powerful owl found throughout the Americas, named for the tufts of feathers on its head that look like horns or ears. A fierce nocturnal predator with crushing talons, it hunts a wide range of prey, even skunks and other raptors.
By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated
The great horned owl is a large, powerful owl found throughout the Americas, named for the tufts of feathers on its head that look like horns or ears. A fierce nocturnal predator with crushing talons, it hunts a wide range of prey, even skunks and other raptors. Known for its deep hooting call, it usually lives 10 to 15 years in the wild.
0.55 m
Typical length
1.4 kg
Typical weight
64 km/h
Top speed
13 yrs
Lifespan
Figures sourced from Wikipedia — Great Horned Owl, Wikidata — Great Horned Owl .
Great Horned Owl: Quick Facts
| Scientific name | Bubo virginianus |
|---|---|
| Diet | Carnivore (mammals, birds, reptiles) |
| Habitat | Forests, deserts, wetlands, and cities |
| Lifespan | 10–15 years in the wild |
| Wingspan | 1.0–1.5 m (3.3–4.8 ft) |
| Top speed | Up to 64 km/h (40 mph) |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Strigiformes |
| Family | Strigidae |
| Genus | Bubo |
Conservation Status
- IUCN Status
- Least Concern (IUCN Red List category)
- Population
- Global population not compiled for this guide
- Trend
- See the IUCN Red List assessment
- Assessed
- See the IUCN Red List assessment
- CITES
- See CITES appendices
Conservation figures are drawn from the IUCN Red List and CITES; this guide links to the authoritative sources rather than restating population counts.
Key Facts: Great Horned Owl
- The great horned owl is one of the most powerful birds of prey in the Americas, with a grip strong enough to crush the spine of its prey.
- Few predators have such a varied diet.
- The "horns" are not ears but tufts of feathers that may help with camouflage and communication; the owl's actual ears are hidden at the sides of its head and are set unevenly to pinpoint sound.
A formidable night hunter
The great horned owl is one of the most powerful birds of prey in the Americas, with a grip strong enough to crush the spine of its prey. It hunts at night using exceptional hearing and large, light-gathering eyes, gliding silently on soft-edged feathers that muffle the sound of its wings so prey never hears it coming.
Diet and fearless appetite
Few predators have such a varied diet. Great horned owls take rabbits, rodents, and other mammals, as well as birds up to the size of geese and other owls and hawks. They are one of the only animals that regularly hunt skunks, apparently untroubled by the spray, and they will also eat reptiles, amphibians, and large insects.
The tufts and the hoot
The "horns" are not ears but tufts of feathers that may help with camouflage and communication; the owl's actual ears are hidden at the sides of its head and are set unevenly to pinpoint sound. Its deep, soft "hoo-hoo-hoo" is a classic sound of the night and is often the call people picture when they imagine an owl.
Habitat and range
Great horned owls are found from the Arctic edge of North America down through Central and South America, living in almost every habitat, including forests, deserts, swamps, farmland, and city parks. This adaptability and their broad diet make them one of the most widespread and successful owls in the New World.
What WARN Does
WARN does not run a dedicated great horned owl programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The great horned owl is currently widespread and not globally threatened, and this guide helps readers understand the pressures that can change that. Building public understanding of species like the great horned owl supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.
If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.
Great Horned Owl: Frequently Asked Questions
What do great horned owls eat?
Do great horned owls really have horns?
How strong is a great horned owl's grip?
How long do great horned owls live?
Why are great horned owls associated with the classic owl hoot?
Are great horned owls dangerous to people?
Where do great horned owls live?
How big is a great horned owl?
Sources & References
Population figures, conservation status and biological facts on this page are drawn from authoritative scientific and intergovernmental sources.
Terms used on this page
Plain-English definitions, from our wildlife and conservation glossary.
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