Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus

Description - The great horned owl is a large owl that is chiefly nocturnal. Its colour varies from nearly white (in the Arctic) to dark brown and grey. It is mottled and streaked below, setting off its white throat. The ear tufts are prominent and widely spaced; the eyes are yellow. The call is a series of low, sonorous, far-carrying hoots.

Biology - The great horned owl preys on rabbits, rodents and birds and occasionally skunks. They lay their 2-3 white eggs on a bare surface of a cliff, cave or on the ground; in the East they will use the uninhabited nests of the heron, hawk or crow. This is the largest and best known of the common owls.