HORNED OWL

any owl of the genus Bubo (family Strigidae), with hornlike tufts of feathers. The name refers especially to the great horned owl (B. virginianus) of America. The great horned owl ranges from Arctic tree limits southward to the Strait of Magellan. It is a powerful, mottled-brown predator that is often more than 60 cm (about 2 feet) in length, with a wingspread often approaching 200 cm (80 inches) in the female. Although its usual fare is small rodents and birds, the great horned owl has been known to carry off larger prey (such as hens). Adapted to desert and forest, the great horned owl migrates only during time of food shortage. Other horned owls are the eagle owl, or Eurasian eagle owl (B. bubo), of Europe, Asia, and northern Africa and related species that occur in Africa, India, Myanmar (Burma), and the Indonesian archipelago (see eagle owl).