Great horned owl

• Status: Safe
• Forests, deserts, farmland and cities across the Americas

Numbers

Weight

3 lb (1.4 kg)females about 3.5 lb, males about 2.7 lb

Length

22 in (56 cm)from beak to tail, from 17 to 25 in

Lifespan

13 yearsa typical long life; the record is almost 29

Talon grip

300 psi (21 bar)stronger than a human hand

Wingspan

4 ft (1.2 m)from 3 to 5 ft

Head turn

270 degreesits eyes cannot move

Ten fun facts

1. 01

   The horns of the great horned owl are only tufts of feathers, and they play no part in its hearing.

2. 02

   Its ear openings sit at slightly different heights, which lets it find prey hidden under snow by sound alone.

3. 03

   Its eyes are almost as big as a human's and shaped like tubes, working like a telephoto lens.

4. 04

   It cannot move its eyes, so it turns its whole head, as far as two hundred seventy degrees.

5. 05

   Fringed edges on its wing feathers break up the air, so it flies in almost total silence.

6. 06

   It is one of the few predators that regularly eat skunks, because its sense of smell is poor.

7. 07

   In a single great horned owl nest, researchers once found the remains of fifty-seven striped skunks.

8. 08

   Its talons squeeze with at least three hundred pounds per square inch, far more than a human hand.

9. 09

   It is one of the earliest birds in North America to nest, laying eggs weeks or months before other raptors.

10. 10

    The oldest great horned owl on record in North America lived to almost twenty-nine years.

The quiz answers

Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.

Try it yourself

Data from Wikidata (Q81515) and Wikipedia (Great horned owl).