AppearanceLarge, barrel-shaped body with prominent ear tufts ('horns'). Rich brown-and-buff barring, bright yellow eyes, and a white throat patch. Facial disc frames the face in a flat, forward-facing plane.HabitatExtraordinary generalist: forests, deserts, swamps, open country, parks, and suburbs. One of the most habitat-tolerant raptors in the Americas.BehaviourPrimarily nocturnal. Deep resonant hooting 'who's awake? me too' is one of winter's defining night sounds. The great horned owl is the dominant predator of other raptors — it kills and eats hawks, falcons, and even other owls.SeasonalityNon-migratory. Begins nesting in January or February — the earliest nesting bird in most of North America, incubating eggs in the snow.RangeThroughout the Americas from the Arctic tundra to Tierra del Fuego. Absent only from the high Arctic and dense rainforest interior.