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GREAT HORNED OWLS

GREAT HORNED OWLS

PHOTOS

The Great Horned Owl is the second largest owl in California. Their average size is 1 ½ feet in length with a 4 ½ foot wingspan. The "horns" of the owl are actually only feather tufts, colored brown with the rest of the body. Great Horned Owls also have some spotted coloration in darker shades of brown.

Mating season for the Great Horned Owl occurs in late January or early February. Females will usually lay 2-3 eggs once a year. These eggs will be incubated by both parents. The chicks will hatch in 25-28 days. Both parents are very protective of their young, which will mature and leave the nest after 1-2 months.

Great Horned Owls mainly eat small mammals such as squirrels, rabbits, skunks and birds, which they swallow whole and later regurgitate in what are called owl pellets. They have excellent hearing and specially adapted feathers than dissipate air flow, facilitating silent flight. These features aid the Great Horned Owl in its nocturnal hunting as it swoops down to catch its prey with powerful feet and talons.

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