Virginia

Great Horned Owl

Height: about 18 inches (feet to head)

Weight: Approx 1800 grams (4 pounds)

Wingspan: 3-4 feet

Color: Brown and black with orange and white

Species: Bubo Virginianus

Age: 3+ yrs

Virginia's History

Virginia is one of our biggest educational birds. She is named for the Great Horned owl species name because she is the so much the Great Horned in all ways.

Virginia is a young owl. She is definitely still tough and arrogant. We assume age to be about 3 to 5 years old. She shows a stubbornness and an independence that all great horned owls are said to have. In captivity she can live 40 to 50 years.

She has been an educational bird for about a year. She came to the refuge in 2010.

She prefers to stay inside and away from people, and does not let people come into her cage. She will hiss and attack people entering unless they are dropping off food for her.

Virginia's right rear talon was broken, and regrew wrong. as a result she has problems grabbing food to eat. She can stand and walk and everything else, just not hunt with that talon.

Great Horned Owl - Bubo Virginianus

Great Horned Owls are the only bird of prey that will kill for spite.  They are known for bad attitudes, and most rehab centers dislike them.  They are generally not trainable.  They will forget what you taught them and fight you tooth and nail for what they want.

Great Horned Owls are the single most successful predator in the Americas.  They can coexist with man or live in wilderness; they do not seem to care which.  They are termed "the lions of the sky."

Great Horned Owl talons are able to exceed 2000 lbs  pressure.

Great Horned Owls live in abandoned red tail hawk nests.

The brown area around their eyes are sound collectors for their ears. The yellow irises in their eyes help to amplify incoming light.

Great Horned Owls can turn their head just over 270 degrees (a clock face of the number 5 to the right and number 7 to the left)

Great Horned Owls prefer dusk and dawn hunting, and generally sleep during the middle of the day and middle of the night.

Great Horned Owls will kill crows in their nests at night.  Not for food—just for sport.  For this reason, crows will gang attack great horned owls if they find them during the day.

Their necks are approximately 5 to 9 inches long.  They keep the neck hunched down, making it look shorter.

Their horns are nothing more than feathers designed to break up their silhouette.  Great Horned Owls have the ability to lower their horns.