by:kenzi

Name and description of great horned owls Great horned owls are large and powerful. They have prominent ear tufts meaning broad, puffy and large. They also have prominent facial disks, and bold yellow eyes. Their feathers is a mix of mottled brown with white and black barring with some white at the throat.

Preferred habitat and range The great horned owl is a supreme generalist which means it doesn’t have a lot of threats. They are found in varied of habitats than any other owl in north America. They almost always use wooded habitats, especially during the breading season when trees or heavy brush that provides cover. They also nest in cliffs in arid areas far from trees. Great horned owls preferred habitats that are open or fragmented woodland with treeless areas nearby.

Diet Great horned owls eat what they can find. They have more verity of food then any other owl in north America, but their diet is usually eat rabbits, skunks, and large rodents. Great horned owls also eat other owls and birds. Sometimes they eat reptiles, amphibians, fish, and even large insects.

Nesting habits Great horned owls sometimes nest in caves and cliffs ledges. They mostly live in trees. They don’t build their own nests they use hawks, crows, magpies, heroin's, or large birds. Most of the nests are old and built the year before. They also take over nests that are being used. Nesting usually begins in late January or February. The young owl remains in the nest for 6 weeks, then climbs onto near branches. They take 7 weeks until they take short flights, but at 9-10 weeks they fly on there own.

Human and natural threats Great horned owls don’t have many threats. One of their threats are hawks especially to young great horned owls. Humans are also a threat to future generations of great horned owls. Humans are the major threat.

Steps people can take to help this species Steps people can take to help great horned owls is to provide habitats and don’t harm them in any way. Also you could protect their babies from being eaten by hawks and maybe other animals.

My personal connection My personal connection is doing this project because I learned a lot about great horned owls that I never knew, like there diet has a wide range of food that they eat. And they don’t have a lot of threats. I had a fun time learning about the great horned owls.

Bibliography Great horned owl. Bird web. Seattle Audubon society, Jan web. Nov 2002.

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