The Daily Bird: Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl. Photo courtesy of Tomas Koeck.

April 6, 2020

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Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus

Today’s Daily Bird consists of one great photo. Our friend Tomas Koeck took it in Fairfield, and we thank him for the chance to publish it here.

Great Horned Owls, fierce predators known as the Tiger of the Sky, nest early in the year. They can weigh from between 2 to 5 1/2 pounds, and can carry up to four times their weight.

In late February I was listening for owls at dusk in the woods near the New York border. I heard a Great Horned, a male, and turned to see him land on a limb. After half a minute or so he flew past, silently, and landed on the other side of a brook, and began a duet with a female. A simple thing but an awesome thrill.