Great Horned Owl 
(Bubo virginianus)

The largest of American “eared” owls is the Great Horned Owl, exceeded in size only by the rare Great Gray Owl. It is 63cm long and has a wingspan of 1.4m.

The Great Horned owl eats almost any living prey, from mice to birds, including other owls, to reptiles and fish. It is among the few predators of skunks, whose scent often penetrates the owl's feathers.

The range of this species ranges from Alaska throughout Canada, and down through the Americas.  Its habitat is varied, from sub-arctic evergreen forests to arid deserts and wooded city parks. It nests in trees and caves, on cliff ledges, or on the ground.

The large eyes of owls are directed forward, and are encased in a capsule of bone that allows little eye movement. Therefore, the owls must turn their entire heads to look sideways, helped by relatively long and flexible necks that permit their heads to be rotated through 270 degrees.

As relatively few owls hunt their prey in full daylight, their hearing is particularly important. Many have ear openings at different levels; this enables the bird to get a "fix" on the sound made by a prey animal. Owls have binocular vision, 100 times as powerful as ours. An internal eyewash cleanses their eyes each time they blink.