Species Spotlight: Great Horned Owls

If you hear deep hoots ring out in the night, you are possibly hearing the Great horned owl. With feathery tufts that look like ears and bright yellow eyes, this raptor is a large predator with an average wingspan of 4.5 feet. Great horned owls have a varied appetite. They hunt frogs, mice, opossum, rabbits, scorpions, as well as other birds of prey including ospreys, falcons and other owls.

Photo: Dal Neitzel

Across North America you can find Great horned owls in forests, deserts, grasslands, backyards and even cities. If they can find suitable shelter and food sources, they will thrive due to their nocturnal, predacious nature and excellent camouflage of feathers. Lummi Island is home to several Great horned owls found at the Curry Preserve, the edges of Otto Preserve and even near Aiston Preserve. The protected open fields create great hunting habitat, and second growth forest provides shelter and cover from the elements, and places to roost.

Great horned owls are highly adaptable and love the “edges” of ecosystems. These owls will use nests built by other birds high up in trees. Other times they will nest in abandoned buildings, cliffs and dead snags. Sometimes they will line parts of their nest are with feathers or pelts from their prey and additional sticks and bark for support. Great horned owls choose one mate in the same territory. Each mating pair will have one brood of offspring per season containing 1-4 eggs and nest for roughly 42 days. The owlets emerge featherless, pink and blind but soon grow mottled downy feathers. Speaking of spring babies, check out this video from Richard Smith of a Great horned owl and her three owlets co-opting an eagle’s nest.
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