Bubo (not on display) was acquired December 10, 2000 .  Bubo was born in the wild and shortly after hatching, a family found him and tried to make a pet out of him.  After a couple of months they realized that a great horned owl does not belong in a home and they turned him over to the authorities.  Because he was with humans at the crucial time he would have been learning survival skills from his mother, Bubo would not survive in the wild and is not releasable.  He seems quite content here at the centre with his new companion Dr.Hoo.

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Dining and Dwelling

The great horned owl will feed on almost any living creature that it is able to overpower, such as mammals from mice to foxes, birds (including other owls), reptiles, fish and large insects.  These owls occupy a great variety of habitats from subarctic coniferous forests to arid deserts to wooded city parks.  They nest in trees, in caves, on cliff edges or even on the ground. 

Life and Death

The great horned owl lays 2-3 eggs from early January to February.  After hatching the owlets spend 10 days to two weeks on the nest protected by their parents until they are capable of flight.

These owls are at the top of the food chain, and are rarely predated by other animals.  Humans often kill great horned owls when they are found preying on farm animals such as chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits and even house cats.

That's Amazing

• This owl is one of the only predators of the skunk and seems unaffected by the skunks odorous spray.
• Great horned owls have a habit of decapitating their prey, leaving it's headless body behind.