Where are Great Horned Owls this time of year?

Question

I think I saw a pair of them around 1 AM, but I can't be sure. I couldn't tell at first, but when I got close enough and my depth perception came back, I realized they were huge! They could have eaten my cat (about 15 pounds) for dinner and had room for seconds. I got a flashlight for a better look and they were the right color, plus they had the telltale "horns" on their heads, but don't other owls have that? But what owls even come close to that size?

I've seen Great Horned Owls in captivity, but never heard their calls. These two were calling for over an hour, and one had a deep, booming voice while the other had a slightly higher one, but the calls were still similar. Think they were the same? I looked up recordings online. There was one with two owls, but I couldn't tell if the second one was a deeper voice or just further away.

I thought they were just migrating through, but these two were calling for an hour or more. Do owls have territorial calls like some wild mammals?

Answer 1

Yes, the Great Horned Owls are huge! There are other North American owls that have the "horns" but they are much smaller than the GHOs. The Long-Eared Owl is only 15 inches, 10 inches shorter than the GHO. Other owls that are close to the GHO in size, such as the Snowy Owl and the Great Grey Owl, lack the "horns."

"Great horned owls occur all over the United States and most of Canada, and southward to Central and South America to the Straits of Magellan. They are one of the most widespread species of owls. They mostly reside year round in their territories, but ones from the far north move southward in fall or winter." http://www.desertusa.com/mag00/jan/papr/ghowl.html

At this time of the year, GHOs are finding their mates and they are calling back and forth to each other.

They are very territorial once they have nested, and heaven help the animal OR human that gets near their nests or their babies, even once the babies have fledged (left the nest).

When I was a volunteer at the Avian Rehabilitation Center, we had three of them. I had to be extremely careful when I entered their enclosure to clean it or to feed them. They are extremely agressive - they are known as the tigers of the avian world - and once they grab something in their talons, it is all but impossible to pry them off. They will clack their beaks at you as a warning if you are getting too close. Heed that warning! They are magnificent animals, but watch them from a distance with a good pair of binoculars!

Answer 2

No, they are not endangered, but this area can not be destoyed legally without LOTS of biological surveys being done first. Legally, they should have a biologist from a consultant firm assigned to this area to see what kind of species exist there and what kind of an impact destroying these woods would have on the ecosytem. Also, if there is too much damage being done..this company may have to mitigate for it elsewhere. Find out if this is happening legally. If they don't seem to have a hired biologist, contact your local Fish and Game or US Fish and Wildlife for help.

Answer 3

No other owl is larger that the Great Horned Owl except the very rare Great Gray Owl, but they don't have any horns on their head. You are right about other owls having similar horns, but again none of them are nearly as big as the Great Horned Owl. I agree with you that they were probably Great Horned Owls, but just in case here are some websites that might help you identify them.
http://www.owlpages.com/sounds.php
http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Bubo&species=virginianus
http://www.owling.com/Great_Horned.htm
http://enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?source=&parkid=&searchText=&allSpecies=&shapeID=960&lshapeID=0&curAbbr=&lastView=default&lastGroup=1&lastRegion=&lastFilter=4&lastShapeName=&trackType=&curRegionID=&size=&habitat=&fruit=&color=&sortBy=family&curFamilyID=®ionSelect=All+regions®ionZIP=&curGroupID=1&lgfromWhere=&curPageNum=7

Answer 4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Horned_Owl