Episode 38: Great Horned Owl – Voice of the Wild

This is Illinois Extension’s Voice of the Wild. A new wild voice in just a moment, so find someplace quiet, take a deep breath, and enjoy.

The quintessential “who” and an extraordinary predator with a year-round range spans nearly all of North America. Despite the two tufts of feathers coming out the top of its head, this owl is marvelously camouflaged and tends to stay high in coniferous trees. This makes finding one rather difficult. During the day you can look beneath tall pine and spruce trees for pellets and whitewash, both evidence that an owl of some kind is roosting above, but you’re more likely to find this owl with the help of crows. They are predated heavily by large owls and don’t take kindly to one roosting in their territory, so if you are on a hike through the woods and hear a group of crows making a ruckus, follow your ears and you may discover they're mobbing this fearsome owl.

This is the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) from the owl family, Strigidae

Early in a midwinter morning, well before the sun has risen, is a great time to listen for the haunting hoots of the great horned owl. They establish their territory by hooting and a pair will hoot together as part of their courtship for many weeks, tapering off after they’ve established a nest and laid their eggs in the late winter or early spring. Here’s the great horned owl again.

Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for our bird sounds. And thank you for tuning in to learn a new wild voice with Illinois Extension.