BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Bubo virginianus
Great Horned Owl
| Scientific Name: | Bubo virginianus (Gmelin, 1788) | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Great Horned Owl | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Remsen, J. V., Jr., A. Jaramillo, M. Nores, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, T. S. Schulenberg, F. G. Stiles, J. M. C. da Silva, D. F. Stotz, and K. J. Zimmer. Version: 21 March 2005. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithologists' Union. Online. Available: http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.html | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | B-GHOW | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Apr 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S5 (Mar 2015) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2005) | ||||||||||
| Migratory Bird Convention Act: | |||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Clutch size averages 2-3. Incubation lasts 26-35 days, mostly by female (male supplies food). Young leave nest at 4-5 weeks, fly well at 9-10 weeks, dependent on parents for several weeks. Most yearling females do not nest. Lost clutch may be replaced. Longevity record in the wild is at least 28 years. | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: | In Saskatchewan, productivity (number of young per nest and number of breeders) peaked with peak in snowshoe hare population (Houston 1987); declines in hare density resulted in increased owl dispersal and mortality (Houston and Francis 1995). Home range size varies seasonally and geographically. Breeding territories in southwest Yukon ranged from 230-883 hectares, averaging 483 hectares; home ranges of nonterritorial floaters overlapped the territorial pairs and averaged 725 hectares (Rohner 1997). Density varies in different areas, usually about 1 pair per 5-20 sq km. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / Y / N / na / |
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| Global Migration Comments: | Northern populations partially migratory; some individuals, especially young, found in winter up to a few hundred km south of banding site. Band recoveries indicate that most individuals remain within 80 km of banding site (Johnsgard 1988). | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Agriculture / Cultivated Field / Unknown
Agriculture / Hedgerow / Unknown Agriculture / Pasture/Old Field / Unknown Anthropogenic / Urban/Suburban / Unknown Forest / Conifer Forest - Dry / Unknown Forest / Conifer Forest - Mesic (average) / Unknown Forest / Conifer Forest - Moist/wet / Unknown Other Unique Habitats / Estuary / Unknown Riparian / Riparian Forest / Unknown Wetland / Bog / Unknown Wetland / Fen / Unknown Wetland / Marsh / Unknown Wetland / Swamp / Unknown |
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| Global Habitat Comments: |
Various forested habitats, moist or arid, deciduous or evergreen lowland forest to open temperate woodland, including second-growth forest, swamps, orchards, riverine forest, brushy hillsides, and desert. Very local in tropical lowlands (Hilty and Brown 1986). Nest sites in different areas include: in trees in old or usurped nests of other birds (e.g., hawk, crow) or squirrel; tree cavities; stumps; rocky ledges; caves; in barns; and on artificial platforms. Usually in heaviest available timber in east; sites more diverse in arid west. Typically does not use same tree nest in successive years. |
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| Food Habits: |
Carnivore: Adult, Immature
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | Opportunistic feeder; eats mainly mammals (commonly mouse to rabbit size) and small to large birds (including hawks and waterfowl). Parents provide up to about 300 g of food per day per nestling. | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Nocturnal: Adult, Immature
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| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 56/ / 1769 | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | BREEDING: western and central Alaska to southern Keewatin and Labrador, south to southern South America. NON-BREEDING: generally throughout breeding range; northernmost populations partially migratory, wintering south to southern Canada and northern U.S. | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | HAMMERSON, G., MINOR REVISIONS BY S. CANNINGS | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Apr 05, 1996 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp. |
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Austing, G. 1966. The world of the great horned owl. J.B. Lippincott Co., New York. 158 pp. |
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Banks, R. C., and M. R. Browning. 1995. Comments on the status of revived old names for some North American birds. Auk 112:633-648. |
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Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I. McTaggart-Cowan, et al. 1990b. The Birds of British Columbia Vol. 2: Nonpasserines: Diurnal Birds of Prey through Woodpeckers. Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, BC. |
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Clark, R. J., D. G. Smith, and L. H. Kelso. 1978. Working bibliography of owls of the world. National Wildlife Federation, Sci. & Tech. Ser. No. 1. 336 pp. |
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Demarchi, M.W. and M.D. Bently. 2005. Best Management Practices for Raptor Conservation during Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia. B.C. Minist. of Environ., Victoria, B.C. MoE BMP Series. |
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Dickerman, R. W. 1991. On the validity of BUBO VIRGINIANUS OCCIDENTALIS Stone. Auk 108:964-965. |
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Eckert, Allan W. 1978. The Owls of North America. Weather-vane Books, New York. 278 pp. |
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Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio. |
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Harrison, H. H. 1979. A field guide to western birds' nests. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 279 pp. |
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Hilty, S.L. and W. L. Brown. 1986. A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA. 836 pp. |
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Houston, C. S. 1987. Nearly synchronous cycles of the great horned owl and snowshoe hare in Saskatchewan. Pp. 56-58 in Nero, R.W., et al., eds. Biology and conservation of northern forest owls. USDA For. Serv., Gen. Tech Rep. RM-142 |
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Houston, C. S., and C. M. Francis. 1995. Survival of great horned owls in relation to the snowshoe hare cycle. Auk 112:44-59. |
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Johnsgard, P. 1988. North American owls: biology and natural history. Smithsonian Inst. Press. 336 pp. |
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McGillivray, W. B. 1989. Geographic variation in size and reverse size dimorphism of the great horned owl in North America. Condor 91:777-786. |
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Morrell, T. E., R. H. Yahner, and W. L. Harkness. 1991. Factors affecting detection of great horned owls by using broadcast vocalizations. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 19:481-488. |
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Nicholls, T. H., and M. R. Fuller. 1987. Owl telemetry techniques. Pages 294-301 IN R.W. Nero, R.J. Clark, R.J. Knapton, and R.H. Hamre, editors. Biology and conservation of northern forest owls. USDA Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-142. |
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Pendleton, B. A. G., B. A. Millsap, K. W. Cline, and D. M. Bird. 1987. Raptor management techniques manual. National Wildlife Federation, Sci. and Tech. Ser. No. 10. 420 pp. |
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Rohner, C. 1997. Non-territorial 'floaters' in Great Horned Owls: space use during a cyclic peak of snowshoe hares. Animal Behaviour 53:901-912. |
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Rusch, D. H., et al. 1972. Response of great horned owl populations to changing prey densities. J. Wildl. Manage. 36:282-296. |
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Smith, D.G. 1987b. Owl census techniques. Pages 304-307 in R.W. Nero, R.J. Clark, R.J. Knapton, and R.H. Hamre, editors. Biology and conservation of northern forest owls. USDA Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-142. |
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Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. |
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Voous, K. H., and A. Cameron. 1989. Owls of the Northern Hemisphere. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 320 pp. |
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Walker, L.W. 1974. The book of owls. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York. 255 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1996. Species Summary: Bubo virginianus. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Oct 17, 2026).