The great gray owl is a large owl with fixed eyes, excellent hearing and bulky feathering that allows stealthy hunting, mainly at night. They have been called “Cat Owl” and the Archduke of the Deep Dark Woods. Ralph LaPlant Photo

The great horned owl is a regular and common resident of Minnesota. It is common throughout the state except for the north-central region where it is uncommon. Some tend to migrate from the northern regions of the state during winter months. They range over all of the United States and most of Canada, preferring prefer conifer groves, thickets and woodlands with a territory of up to about 2 square miles.
    Described by the ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson as a “really large owl,” the great horned has ear tufts or “horns” and can be up to about two feel long, or depending on how you look at them, tall and can have up to a 60 inch wing-span. Males and females look alike, except the males tend to be slightly larger.
    The hoot, or call, of the great horned owl is two to three to eight notes, sometimes sounding like “whose awake, me too” with the “me too” having a lower tone. The female’s voice is higher pitched.
    Being one of the earliest birds to nest, they use abandoned nests of crows, hawks and herons. They also nest in hollows found in trees, buildings and on the ground. Two to three eggs that are white in color are laid after an incubation period of about a month. Both parents have incubated and now will, together, feed their young and defend the nest site. If a young bird falls out of a nest the parents will feed it on the ground. The young will stay in the nest six to eight weeks and then will be three months in the fledgling phase. They great gray owl has one brood per year.
    Hunting mainly at night the great horned owl feeds on rabbits, squirrels, mice, weasels, muskrats, skunks, pocket gophers, beetles, bats, domestic cats, frogs, grasshoppers and many different bird species. Any indigestible portions of this tasty menu are upchucked as pellets of fur.
    Often seen during the day sleeping on branches, the great horned owl grasps its perch with its talons to prevent falling off. It is able to rotate its head about 270 degrees (3/4 of a complete rotation) due to extra vertebrae. Contrary to popular belief, the own cannon turn its head completely around. The eyes are fixed so the owl has to move its head to move its eyes.
     With incredible hearing, the owl is able to hunt at night with soft feathers acting as a “funnel” that concentrates sound to the ears. Tilting of the head pinpoints the direction the sound comes from. Feathers are soft, helping the birds to fly noiseless.
    Crows torment the great horned owl. It is not known why, but crows will mob the owls.