Our Resident Great Horned Owls

Baxter

   Brought to Sharon Audubon Center:   

   February 1999

   Sex: Male

   Injury:  Cannot sustain flight

   History: Baxter came to the Audubon  

  Center through the wildlife rehabilitation

  program after being struck by a car.  He

  suffered from a severely broken left wing,

  which was later amputated by

  veterinarians.  He now resides in a large

  outside aviary with another Great Horned

  Owl.  Baxter started participating in

  educational programs, almost one year

  after his accident.

Hooper

Brought to Sharon Audubon Center:   January 16, 2005

Sex: Male

Injury: Cannot sustain flight

History:  Hooper was found on the ground, in a field in New Milford, CT, by one of our animal care volunteers. His right wing was obviously injured, as he was literally tripping over it.  Although he received veterinary and rehabilitation care, the injury to his wing did not heal properly.  He now lives at the Center in the raptor aviaries with another Great Horned Owl, Baxter.

Great Horned Owl

(Bubo Virginianus)

Average Height:  18-26 inches

Average Weight:  2 1/2-3 1/2 pounds

Wingspan:  4-5 feet

Lifespan:  15-20 years

Description:  The Great Horned Owl is a large brown owl with "ear tufts," which are mistakenly thought to be the bird's ears.  Feathers are brown with heavy barring on the underparts.  A white throat bib, yellow eyes, and a reddish-brown facial disk are distinctive features.

Call:  Both sexes give a series of low hoots which sound like, "Who's awake? Me too!"  The males often give 4-5 hoots, "Hoo-hoo-oo, hoo, hoo."  The female's call is lower in pitch and often gives a series of 6-8 hoots, "Hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo, hoo-oo, hoo-oo."

Range:  Great Horns reside throughout the United States and most of Canada.  It is a very common resident of Connecticut and New York.

Habitat:  Great Horned Owls live in coniferous or deciduous forests, open woodlands, swamps, urban parks, and semi-desert areas.

Diet:  The diet of Great Horned Owls includes rabbits, rodents, skunks, cats, frogs, snakes, and smaller birds, including owls.  Great Horns are at the top of the food chain, so they have many prey, but have very little predators.  Man is the biggest predator of Great Horned Owls.