Great Horned Owl | Fledgemade

The massive 'tiger of the woods'. A heavily-set owl with prominent ear tufts and yellow eyes. Apex nocturnal predator across nearly the entire Western Hemisphere; rarely uses enclosed boxes but readily adopts large platforms.

Cool Facts

Things you didn't know about the Great Horned Owl

Among the earliest breeders of any North American bird, eggs often laid in January with the female incubating through blizzards.

Apex nocturnal predator with one of the widest prey ranges of any owl, taking everything from voles to skunks to other birds of prey.

Range covers nearly the entire Western Hemisphere from boreal Canada to the southern tip of South America.

Doesn't excavate or build, adopts the abandoned stick nests of hawks, herons, or eagles, plus human-made platforms.

Range & Habitat

Where you'll find them

Resident from Alaska and northern Canada through the contiguous US, Mexico, Central America, and most of South America to Tierra del Fuego.

By region

North America

Year-round throughout the US and Canada in nearly every habitat.
Central & South America

Resident through Mexico, Central America, and across most of South America.

forests of any kind deserts wooded suburbs agricultural lands

10-year local observation heatmap. Click a season above to isolate one band.

Exotic

Outside our line

Beyond our build

We don't build for the Great Horned Owl

Outside our line due to 3D-printing or height-placement limitations. We don't currently build for this species. The published nest dimensions are listed here for reference if you're sourcing or building one yourself.

Interior: 13" × 13" × 13" tall
Entrance: Open
Mount: 20–40 ft
Notes: Uses platforms, does not enter enclosed boxes.

Seasonal Care

When to install. When to clean.

Install by

By December (very early breeder)

Cleaning

Once a year, late summer

Across the Americas

Resident; platforms should be in place by December.

One of the earliest-breeding birds in North America, eggs sometimes laid in January snow.