Bird
Great Horned Owl
Big owl, night nosh machine
Where the Night Boss Lives
Great horned owls are found statewide in Maine and can thrive in almost any habitat with trees: forests, swamps, fields, and even suburban neighborhoods.
Owl Intelligence
Those famous “horns” aren’t actually horns at all, they’re feather tufts used for communication and display. Great horned owls also start nesting earlier than most Maine birds, sometimes as early as January, braving winter weather to raise their young.
Quick Facts
Average Size
About 1½-2 feet tall with a wingspan of 3-5 feet, these powerful owls are roughly the same size as a red-tailed hawk. Specialized feathers allow them to fly almost completely silently.
What's on the Menu
Great horned owls aren’t picky. Their varied diet includes rabbits, skunks, rodents, birds, reptiles, and even other owls.
The Look
A stocky brown-and-gray owl with bold chest barring, piercing yellow eyes, and two distinctive feather tufts that look like “horns.”
