Great horned owl

Great horned owls hunt from perches at dusk and night. They are one of the few animals that regularly eat skunks, and they have little sense of smell.

They nest early, laying eggs as early as January, often in old hawk nests.

Great horned owls are top predators of woods and farmland across the Americas, controlling rats, rabbits and other animals. Their adaptability makes them one of the most widespread owls in the world.

Nest — An old hawk, crow or squirrel nest, or a broken treetop
Eggs — Usually two or three
Incubation — About 30 to 37 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Leaving the nest — At about six weeks, before they fly
Flight — At about nine to ten weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over twenty years are recorded

• Owlets on the ground or low branches in spring are usually fine; parents feed them nearby.
• Rodent poisons and cars kill many owls.
• Chickens and small pets outside at night can be taken; secure coops protect them.

• An owlet on the ground has fallen and is abandoned. Young owls leave the nest early and climb or hop to branches; their parents keep feeding them.
• Owls are wise. The idea is as old as ancient Greece. Owls are superb hunters with extraordinary hearing, but crows and jays are the problem-solvers of the bird world.

• Barred owl
• Eastern screech-owl
• Red-tailed hawk