Owls

Great Horned Owl

Found almost throughout North America and much of South America is this big owl. Aggressive and powerful in its hunting (sometimes known by nicknames such as 'tiger owl'), it takes prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, snakes, and even skunks, and will even attack porcupines, often with fatal results for both prey and predator. Great Horned Owls begin nesting very early in the north, and their deep hoots may be heard rolling across the forest on mid-winter nights.

Great Horned Owl

Found almost throughout North America and much of South America is this big owl. Aggressive and powerful in its hunting (sometimes known by nicknames such as 'tiger owl'), it takes prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, snakes, and even skunks, and will even attack porcupines, often with fatal results for both prey and predator. Great Horned Owls begin nesting very early in the north, and their deep hoots may be heard rolling across the forest on mid-winter nights.

Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owls hanging out at the Home Depot in Bozeman Montana outside garden area. Found almost throughout North America and much of South America is this big owl. Aggressive and powerful in its hunting (sometimes known by nicknames such as 'tiger owl'), it takes prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, snakes, and even skunks, and will even attack porcupines, often with fatal results for both prey and predator. Great Horned Owls begin nesting very early in the north, and their deep hoots may be heard rolling across the forest on mid-winter nights.

Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owls hanging out at the Home Depot in Bozeman Montana outside garden area. Found almost throughout North America and much of South America is this big owl. Aggressive and powerful in its hunting (sometimes known by nicknames such as 'tiger owl'), it takes prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, snakes, and even skunks, and will even attack porcupines, often with fatal results for both prey and predator. Great Horned Owls begin nesting very early in the north, and their deep hoots may be heard rolling across the forest on mid-winter nights.

Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owls hanging out at the Home Depot in Bozeman Montana outside garden area. Found almost throughout North America and much of South America is this big owl. Aggressive and powerful in its hunting (sometimes known by nicknames such as 'tiger owl'), it takes prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, snakes, and even skunks, and will even attack porcupines, often with fatal results for both prey and predator. Great Horned Owls begin nesting very early in the north, and their deep hoots may be heard rolling across the forest on mid-winter nights.

Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owls hanging out at the Home Depot in Bozeman Montana outside garden area. Found almost throughout North America and much of South America is this big owl. Aggressive and powerful in its hunting (sometimes known by nicknames such as 'tiger owl'), it takes prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, snakes, and even skunks, and will even attack porcupines, often with fatal results for both prey and predator. Great Horned Owls begin nesting very early in the north, and their deep hoots may be heard rolling across the forest on mid-winter nights.

Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owls hanging out at the Home Depot in Bozeman Montana outside garden area. Found almost throughout North America and much of South America is this big owl. Aggressive and powerful in its hunting (sometimes known by nicknames such as 'tiger owl'), it takes prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, snakes, and even skunks, and will even attack porcupines, often with fatal results for both prey and predator. Great Horned Owls begin nesting very early in the north, and their deep hoots may be heard rolling across the forest on mid-winter nights.

Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owls hanging out at the Home Depot in Bozeman Montana outside garden area. Found almost throughout North America and much of South America is this big owl. Aggressive and powerful in its hunting (sometimes known by nicknames such as 'tiger owl'), it takes prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, snakes, and even skunks, and will even attack porcupines, often with fatal results for both prey and predator. Great Horned Owls begin nesting very early in the north, and their deep hoots may be heard rolling across the forest on mid-winter nights.

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared owls are medium size owls with small ear tufts on the top of the head. They have round, beige facial disks similar to those of barn owls. The underparts are white/buff (male) or tawny/rust (female), and streaked with brown, while the back is brown and mottled with white. When perched, the wings extend beyond the tail and in flight, the undersides of the wings show dark markings on the wrists and wing tips. The short-eared owl's flight is frequently described as "moth or bat-like" because it flies low over grasslands or marshes, moving back and forth with unhurried, irregular wing beats. Short-eared owls are the most diurnal (active during the day) of all the northeastern owls. They are most often observed in the late afternoon and at dawn or dusk. These birds eat primarily small mammals, but they occasionally take small birds and the young sometimes eat insects. When hunting, they dive from perches or fly low over the ground and pounce on prey from above, sometimes hovering briefly before they drop.

Great Gray Owl

Great Gray Owls are the largest owl species in North America. They have a wingspan over 4 feet with a body length of up to 27 inches. They can weigh over 2 pounds. Females are usually larger than males, but they are otherwise identical in appearance. Great Gray Owls have a large, rounded, half-domed head with a flat face and no ear tufts (Bull and Duncan 1993, Sibley 2000). Their eyes are yellow, but look rather small due to the ringed facial disks. The bill is mostly yellow with a black patch below separating white lores that give Great Gray Owls their classic bow-tied appearance. The plumage is mostly gray with patches of whites and browns. The tail is fairly long and is also brown and gray (Bull and Duncan 1993).

Great Gray Owl

Great Gray Owls are the largest owl species in North America. They have a wingspan over 4 feet with a body length of up to 27 inches. They can weigh over 2 pounds. Females are usually larger than males, but they are otherwise identical in appearance. Great Gray Owls have a large, rounded, half-domed head with a flat face and no ear tufts (Bull and Duncan 1993, Sibley 2000). Their eyes are yellow, but look rather small due to the ringed facial disks. The bill is mostly yellow with a black patch below separating white lores that give Great Gray Owls their classic bow-tied appearance. The plumage is mostly gray with patches of whites and browns. The tail is fairly long and is also brown and gray (Bull and Duncan 1993).

Great Gray Owl

Great Gray Owls are the largest owl species in North America. They have a wingspan over 4 feet with a body length of up to 27 inches. They can weigh over 2 pounds. Females are usually larger than males, but they are otherwise identical in appearance. Great Gray Owls have a large, rounded, half-domed head with a flat face and no ear tufts (Bull and Duncan 1993, Sibley 2000). Their eyes are yellow, but look rather small due to the ringed facial disks. The bill is mostly yellow with a black patch below separating white lores that give Great Gray Owls their classic bow-tied appearance. The plumage is mostly gray with patches of whites and browns. The tail is fairly long and is also brown and gray (Bull and Duncan 1993).

Great Gray Owl

Great Gray Owls are the largest owl species in North America. They have a wingspan over 4 feet with a body length of up to 27 inches. They can weigh over 2 pounds. Females are usually larger than males, but they are otherwise identical in appearance. Great Gray Owls have a large, rounded, half-domed head with a flat face and no ear tufts (Bull and Duncan 1993, Sibley 2000). Their eyes are yellow, but look rather small due to the ringed facial disks. The bill is mostly yellow with a black patch below separating white lores that give Great Gray Owls their classic bow-tied appearance. The plumage is mostly gray with patches of whites and browns. The tail is fairly long and is also brown and gray (Bull and Duncan 1993).