Large owl with large ear tufts and yellow eyes. The color of the facial disc varies regionally from gray to cinnamon.
A hefty bird that flies silently on broad wings.
Owls can't move their eyes side to side; instead they can swivel their heads more than 180 degrees to look in any direction.
Juveniles are covered in fluffy down. The head is often downy white and contrasts with the darker facial disc and yellow eyes.
Hefty, upright perching owl with noticeable ear tufts. Plumage coloration varies regionally. Eastern birds tend to have more cinnamon tones.
Preens feathers by pulling them through its bill.
Uses nests built by other species, sometimes adding lining material of their own.
Juveniles are covered in fluffy down. White down often retained on the head longer, which contrasts with the darker facial disc.
Male and females perform a duet of alternating calls, with the female’s voice recognizably higher in pitch than the male’s.
Mottled brown above with bright yellow eyes, a cinnamon facial disc, and a white throat.
Found in woodlands, orchards, and agricultural areas. Sometimes nest in abandoned buildings.
Nests in trees such as cottonwood, juniper, beech, pine, and others. They usually adopt a nest that was built by another species, but they also use cavities in live trees, dead snags, deserted buildings, cliff ledges, and human-made platforms.
These are large, thick-bodied owls with two prominent feathered tufts on the head. The wings are broad and rounded. In flight, the rounded head and short bill combine to create a blunt-headed silhouette.
Slightly larger than a Red-tailed Hawk.
between crow and gooseGreat Horned Owls vary in color tone across their range: birds from the Pacific Northwest tend to be dark sooty; individuals across the Southwest are paler and grayer; and birds from subarctic Canada can be almost white.
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