Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl
Adult
- Large, heavy-bodied owl with noticeable ear tufts
- Glowing yellow or orange eyes on tawny brown facial disc
- Densely barred underparts
- Gray, brown, and black camouflage pattern on upperparts
- © Anne Elliot, AB, Calgary, September 2009
Great Horned Owl
Adult
- Large owl with obvious ear tufts
- Pale brown facial disc
- Overall coloration variable, but always heavily patterned on back and barred on belly
- Glowing yellow or orange eyes
- © Markus Clement, ON, Hershey Lake Park, March 2011
Great Horned Owl
Adult
- Large, bulky owl with broad wings
- Heavily pattern above
- Glowing yellow or orange eyes
- Ear tufts lay flat in flight
- © Pat Kavanagh, AB, Etzikom, October 2010
Great Horned Owl
Adult
- Large, bulky owl with noticeable ear tufts
- Birds of the Great Plains and central Canada average paler/frostier
- Dense barring on underparts
- Camouflage pattern on back and wings
- © Reid Barclay, AB, Dover, Calgary, January 2008
Great Horned Owl
Adult with Juvenile
- Adult large and bulky with obvious ear tufts
- Adult has heavily barred underparts
- Juvenile mostly covered in down, but with large, yellow eyes like adult
- Tawny brown facial disc on both
- © Donald Thompson, FL, Highland City , March 2010
Great Horned Owl
Juveniles
- Large, glowing yellow eyes on tawny facial disc
- Ear tufts not developed yet
- Camouflage pattern on back
- Dense barring starting to show on belly
- © Cameron Rognan, UT, Mojave Desert, Washington, June 2010
Great Horned Owl
Juveniles
- Mostly covered in fluffy down
- Glowing yellow eyes
- Tawny brown facial disc
- © Robinsegg, WA, Yellowstone National Park, June 2009
Similar Species
Adult
- Superficially similar to Great Horned, but much smaller and skinnier
- Large ear tufts are closer together on head
- Bright, rusty orange facial disc
- Dark mottling on underparts
- © Cameron Rognan, San Bernadino, CA, October 2007
Adult
- Much smaller and more slender than Great-horned Owl
- Often appears "skinny" and vertically-oriented
- Proportionally larger ear tufts sit closer together
- Dark cross-hatches on underparts
- © Ben Smith, Antelope Valley, CA, March 2011
Adult
- Smaller than Great Horned Owl with rounded head and no ear tufts
- Large, black eyes
- Vertical brown streaking on belly
- Brown and white mottled wings/back
- © Grant Hickey, ON, November 2010