Animalia > Chordata > Aves > Strigiformes > Strigidae > Bubo > Bubo virginianus

Bubo virginianus (Great Horned Owl)

Synonyms: Strix virginiana (homotypic)
Language: French; Spanish

Wikipedia Abstract

The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas. Its primary diet appears to be rabbits and hares, rats and mice and voles, although it freely hunts any animal it can overtake, primarily other rodents and small mammals, but also larger mid-sized mammals, various birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. In ornithological study, the great horned owl is often compared to the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), a closely related species which, despite the latter's notably larger size, occupies the same ecol
View Wikipedia Record: Bubo virginianus

Infraspecies

Bubo virginianus algistus (Synonym of Bubo virginianus lagophonus, Northwestern horned owl)
Bubo virginianus deserti
Bubo virginianus elachistus (Dwarf horned owl)
Bubo virginianus heterocnemis (Newfoundland horned owl)
Bubo virginianus lagophonus (Northwestern horned owl)
Bubo virginianus magellanicus
Bubo virginianus mayensis (Yucatan horned owl)
Bubo virginianus mesembrinus (Oaxaca horned owl)
Bubo virginianus nacurutu (Venezuelan great horned owl)
Bubo virginianus nigrescens (Ecuadorian great horned owl)
Bubo virginianus pacificus (Coast horned owl)
Bubo virginianus pallescens (Virginia great horned owl) (Attributes)
Bubo virginianus pinorum
Bubo virginianus saturatus (St Michael horned owl)
Bubo virginianus scalariventris
Bubo virginianus subarcticus
Bubo virginianus virginianus (Northern great horned owl) (Attributes)

Invasive Species

View ISSG Record: Bubo virginianus

EDGE Analysis

Uniqueness Scale: Similiar (0) 
3
 Unique (100)
Uniqueness & Vulnerability Scale: Similiar & Secure (0) 
19
 Unique & Vulnerable (100)
ED Score: 6.47536
EDGE Score: 2.01161
Learn more at EDGE of Existence programme

Attributes

Adult Weight [1]  3.137 lbs (1.423 kg)
Birth Weight [3]  35 grams
Female Weight [5]  3.322 lbs (1.507 kg)
Male Weight [5]  2.518 lbs (1.142 kg)
Weight Dimorphism [5]  32 %
Breeding Habitat [2]  Generalist
Wintering Geography [2]  Non-migrartory
Wintering Habitat [2]  Generalist
Diet [4]  Carnivore (Invertebrates), Carnivore (Vertebrates)
Diet - Endothermic [4]  90 %
Diet - Invertibrates [4]  10 %
Forages - Understory [4]  10 %
Forages - Ground [4]  80 %
Forages - Water Surface [4]  10 %
Clutch Size [6]  2
Clutches / Year [3]  1
Fledging [1]  68 days
Global Population (2017 est.) [2]  6,500,000
Incubation [3]  27 days
Mating Display [7]  Ground display
Maximum Longevity [3]  29 years
Nocturnal [4]  Yes
Snout to Vent Length [1]  19 inches (48 cm)
Wing Span [8]  4.395 feet (1.34 m)
Female Maturity [3]  2 years
Male Maturity [3]  2 years

Ecoregions

Protected Areas

+ Click for partial list (100)Full list (323)

Ecosystems

Biodiversity Hotspots

Emblem of

Alberta

Prey / Diet

Prey / Diet Overlap

+ Click for partial list (61)Full list (102)

Predators

Accipiter gentilis (Northern Goshawk)[10]
Aquila chrysaetos (Golden Eagle)[10]

Consumers

Range Map

External References

NatureServe Explorer

Audio

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Provided by Birds Of A Feather on Myxer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
♦ 1Nathan P. Myhrvold, Elita Baldridge, Benjamin Chan, Dhileep Sivam, Daniel L. Freeman, and S. K. Morgan Ernest. 2015. An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96:3109
♦ 2Partners in Flight Avian Conservation Assessment Database, version 2017. Accessed on January 2018.
♦ 3de Magalhaes, J. P., and Costa, J. (2009) A database of vertebrate longevity records and their relation to other life-history traits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(8):1770-1774
♦ 4Hamish Wilman, Jonathan Belmaker, Jennifer Simpson, Carolina de la Rosa, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira, and Walter Jetz. 2014. EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95:2027
♦ 5Kemp, AC. 1989. Estimation of Biological Indices for Little-known African Owls Meyburg, B.-U & R. D. Chancellor eds. 1989 Raptors in the Modern World WWGBP: Berlin, London & Paris
♦ 6Jetz W, Sekercioglu CH, Böhning-Gaese K (2008) The Worldwide Variation in Avian Clutch Size across Species and Space PLoS Biol 6(12): e303. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060303
♦ 7Terje Lislevand, Jordi Figuerola, and Tamás Székely. 2007. Avian body sizes in relation to fecundity, mating system, display behavior, and resource sharing. Ecology 88:1605
♦ 8Wing Loading in 15 Species of North American Owls, Duncan, James R.; Johnson, David H.; Nicholls, Thomas H., eds. Biology and conservation of owls of the Northern Hemisphere: 2nd International symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-190. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station. 553-561 (1997)
♦ 9Predation upon small mammals in shrublands and grasslands of southern South America: ecological correlates and presumable consequences, Fabian M. Jaksic, Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 59: 209-221 (1986)
♦ 10Jorrit H. Poelen, James D. Simons and Chris J. Mungall. (2014). Global Biotic Interactions: An open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics.
♦ 11Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 01, 2010 at animaldiversity.org
♦ 12DIET OF THE GREAT HORNED OWL IN THE CRESTON VALLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1998 - 2005, Linda M. Van Damme, Wildlife Afield 2:2 December 2005, pp. 73-78
♦ 13Neotoma cinerea, Felisa A. Smith, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 564, pp. 1-8 (1997)
♦ 14SPECIES ASSESSMENT FOR SAGE SPARROW (AMPHISPIZA BELLI) IN WYOMING, PAULA L. HANSLEY AND DR. GARY P. BEAUVAIS, United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, September 2004
♦ 15Baiomys taylori, Bruce D. Eshelman and Guy N. Cameron, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 285, pp. 1-7 (1987)
♦ 16Blarina brevicauda, Sarah B. George, Jerry R. Choate, and Hugh H. Genoways, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 261, pp. 1-9 (1986)
♦ 17SPECIES ASSESSMENT FOR PYGMY RABBIT (BRACHYLAGUS IDAHOENSIS) IN WYOMING, DOUGLAS A. KEINATH AND MATTHEW MCGEE, United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office Cheyenne, Wyoming (2004)
♦ 18Spermophilus saturatus, Stephan C. Trombulak, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 322, pp. 1-4 (1988)
♦ 19Peromyscus eva, Sergio Ticul Álvarez-Castañeda and Patricia Cortés-Calva, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 738, pp. 1–3 (2003)
♦ 20Chaetodipus hispidus, Deborah D. Paulson, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 320, pp. 1-4 (1988)
♦ 21Chaetodipus nelsoni, Troy L. Best, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 484, pp. 1-6 (1994)
♦ 22Conepatus leuconotus (Carnivora: Mephitidae), JERRY W. DRAGOO AND STEVEN R. SHEFFIELD, MAMMALIAN SPECIES 827:1–8 (2009)
♦ 23Dipodomys heermanni, Douglas A. Kelt, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 323, pp. 1-7 (1988)
♦ 24Dipodomys ingens, Daniel F. Williams and Kerry S. Kilburn, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 377, pp. 1-7 (1991)
♦ 25Dipodomys ordii, Tom E. Garrison and Troy L. Best, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 353, pp. 1-10 (1990)
♦ 26Dipodomys spectabilis, Troy L. Best, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 311, pp. 1-10 (1988)
♦ 27Predators of the Swallow-Tailed Kite in Southern Louisiana and Mississippi, Jennifer O. Coulson, Thomas D. Coulson, Sherry A. DeFrancesch, and Thomas W. Sherry, Journal of Raptor Research 42(1):1-12. 2008
♦ 28Geomys breviceps, James M. Sulentich, Lawrence R. Williams, and Guy N. Cameron, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 383, pp. 1-4 (1991)
♦ 29Geomys bursarius (Rodentia: Geomyidae), MATTHEW B. CONNIOR, MAMMALIAN SPECIES 43(879):104–117 (2011)
♦ 30The Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl: Taxonomy, Distribution, and Natural History, Jean-Luc E. Cartron, W. Scott Richardson, Glenn A. Proudfoot, USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-43. 2000
♦ 31Glaucomys sabrinus, Nancy Wells-Gosling and Lawrence R. Heaney, Mammalian Species No. 229, pp. 1-8 (1984)
♦ 32Irenomys tarsalis, Douglas A. Kelt, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 447, pp. 1-3 (1993)
♦ 33Lasiurus borealis, Karl A. Shump Jr. and Ann U. Shump, Mammalian Species No. 183, pp. 1-6 (1982)
♦ 34Lemmiscus curtatus, Lynn E. Carroll and Hugh H. Genoways, Mammalian Species No. 124, pp. 1-6 (1980)
♦ 35Lepus californicus, Troy L. Best, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 530, pp. 1-10 (1996)
♦ 36Martes americana, Tim W. Clark, Elaine Anderson, Carman Douglas, and Marjorie Strickland, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 289, pp. 1-8 (1987)
♦ 37Microtus californicus (Rodentia: Cricetidae), NICHOLE L. CUDWORTH AND JOHN L. KOPROWSKI, MAMMALIAN SPECIES 42(868):230–243 (2010)
♦ 38Microtus montanus, Wendy E. Sera and Cathleen N. Early, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 716, pp. 1–10 (2003)
♦ 39Microtus pinetorum, Michael J. Smolen, Mammalian Species No. 147, pp. 1-7 (1981)
♦ 40Mustela frenata, Steven R. Sheffield and Howard H. Thomas, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 570, pp. 1-9 (1997)
♦ 41Neotoma floridana, Robert W. Wiley, Mammalian Species No. 139, pp. 1-7 (1980)
♦ 42Neotoma fuscipes, L. N. Carraway and B. J. Verts, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 386, pp. 1-10 (1991)
♦ 43Neotoma lepida, B. J. Verts and Leslie N. Carraway, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 699, pp. 1–12 (2002)
♦ 44Neotoma micropus, J. K. Braun and M. A. Mares, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 330, pp. 1-9 (1989)
♦ 45Neurotrichus gibbsii, L. N. Carraway and B. J. Verts, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 387, pp. 1-7 (1991)
♦ 46Notiosorex crawfordi, David M. Armstrong and J. Knox Jones, Jr., MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 17, pp. 1-5 (1972)
♦ 47Perognathus flavescens, R. Richard Monk and J. Knox Jone, Jr., MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 525, pp. 1-4 (1996)
♦ 48Perognathus flavus, Troy L. Best and Marian P. Skupski, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 471, pp. 1-10 (1994)
♦ 49Reithrodon auritus, Ulyses F. J. Pardin ̃as and Carlos A. Galliari, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 664, pp. 1–8 (2001)
♦ 50Sciurus niger, John L. Koprowski, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 479, pp. 1-9 (1994)
♦ 51Sorex vagrans, Scott W. Gillihan and Kerry R. Foresman, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 744, pp. 1–5 (2004)
♦ 52Spalacopus cyanus, Juan C. Torres-Mura and Luis C. Contreras, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No.594, pp. 1-5 (1998)
♦ 53Spilogale putorius, Al Kinlaw, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 511, pp. 1-7 (1995)
♦ 54Feeding Ecology and Nesting Success of Forster's Terns on Lake Osakis, Minnesota, Gail Fraser, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1994
♦ 55Sylvilagus audubonii, Joseph A. Chapman and Gale R. Willner, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 106, pp. 1-4 (1978)
♦ 56Sylvilagus bachmani, Joseph A. Chapman, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 34, pp. 1-4 (1974)
♦ 57Sylvilagus nuttallii, Joseph A. Chapman, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 56, pp. 1-3 (1975)
♦ 58Sylvilagus palustris, Joseph A. Chapman and Gale R. Willner, Mammalian Species No. 153, pp. 1-3 (1981)
♦ 59Tadarida brasiliensis, Kenneth T. Wilkins, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 331, pp. 1-10 (1989)
♦ 60Tamias merriami, Troy L. Best and Nancy J. Granai, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 476, pp. 1-9 (1994)
♦ 61Thomomys bottae, Cheri A. Jones and Colleen N. Baxter, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 742, pp. 1–14 (2004)
♦ 62Thomomys bulbivorus, B. J. Verts and Leslie N. Carraway, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 273, pp. 1-4 (1987)
♦ 63Thomomys talpoides, B. J. Verts and Leslie N. Carraway, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 618, pp. 1-11 (1999)
♦ 64Urocitellus canus (Rodentia: Sciuridae) F. RUSSELL COLE AND DON E. WILSON, MAMMALIAN SPECIES 834:1–8 (2009)
♦ 65Spermophilus richardsonii, Gail R. Michener and James W. Koeppl, Mammalian Species No. 243, pp. 1-8, (1985)
♦ 66International Flea Database
♦ 67Gibson, D. I., Bray, R. A., & Harris, E. A. (Compilers) (2005). Host-Parasite Database of the Natural History Museum, London
Ecoregions provided by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). WildFinder: Online database of species distributions, ver. 01.06 Wildfinder Database
Biodiversity Hotspots provided by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
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Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2020-03-21; License: CC BY 4.0