Right at home in Idaho
Nicknamed “the tiger of the sky” for their superb hunting skills, the great horned owl is one of the few animals that is native to Idaho and also lives here at the zoo.
Great horned owl
Bubo virginianus
Status
Least Concern
Activity Period
Nocturnal
Classification
Bird
Habitat
They can live in all but the most extreme habitats, from rainforests to deserts to cities. These owls often hunt in open areas, while roosting in trees.
Range
Great horned owls are highly adaptable, ranging from the tundra of North America all the way to the southern tip Brazil.
Life Expectancy
On average, great horned owls might live between 10-20 years. Under human care they typically live longer - in one case, an owl at the San Francisco Zoo lived to be 50!
Diet
They are carnivores and will eat an incredible variety of prey: rodents, skunks, ducks, frogs, baby alligators, eels, snakes, and raptors like falcons and other owls.
Social Structure
They are solidary outside of the nest season, during which the female will incubate the eggs and the male will bring her (and later, the chicks) food.
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