Great Horned Owl

The great horned owl is one of the largest and most powerful owls of the Americas, found from the Arctic tundra of Canada to the southern tip of South America, adapted to an unusually broad range of habitats including forests, deserts, wetlands and cities. It has prominent feather tufts on the head resembling ears, large yellow eyes and mottled brown-and-white plumage that provides excellent camouflage against tree bark. A formidable nocturnal predator, it hunts a wide variety of prey from insects and rodents to rabbits, skunks and even other birds of prey, striking with a powerful, near-silent flight and a grip strong enough to crush the spine of medium-sized mammals. Its deep, resonant hooting call is among the most recognizable owl sounds, and the species remains common and widespread across its enormous range.