Quantcast

Great Gray Owl

Strix nebulosaOrder: STRIGIFORMESFamily: True Owls (Strigidae)

Breeding Location:

Open landscapes, Marshes, freshwater, Forest



Breeding Type:

Monogamous



Breeding Population:

Rare to uncommon



Egg Color:

White



Number of Eggs:

2 - 5



Incubation Days:

28 - 36



Egg Incubator:

Female



Nest Material:

Abandoned nests.



Migration:

Nonmigratory



Splitbar

Overview

Great Gray Owl: Large owl, dark gray body interspersed with bars and flecks of brown, pale gray, and white. Head is large and without ear tufts. Yellow eyes are relatively small. Bulky appearance when perching due to dense, fluffy plumage, long wings extending past body, and relatively long tail.

Range and Habitat

Great Gray Owl: Found from Alaska across Canada, down the northern Rocky Mountains, and in northern Minnesota; also in northern Europe and Asia. Preferred habitats include stunted coniferous forests along the edge of the Arctic treeline and mixed or coniferous forests.

Breeding and Nesting

Great Gray Owl: Two to five white eggs are laid in an abandoned stick nest made by hawks, ravens, or crows. Female incubates eggs for 28 to 29 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Great Gray Owl: Feeds primarily on small rodents such as voles and pocket gophers; also consumes shrews and birds. Hunts from a perch, from which it locates prey with its keen sense of hearing.

Vocalization

Great Gray Owl: Call is a bold, deep, booming, "whooooo, woo, woo, wo"; also utters single-note hoots.

Similar Species

Great Gray Owl: Barred Owl is smaller, has brown eyes, and is brown and white overall.

.
Bird database and its related content, illustrations and media is Copyright © 2002 - 2007  Whatbird.com
All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced without written permission from Mitch Waite Group.
 Privacy Policy.
Percevia® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family True Owl (Strigidae)_blue
Species Strix nebulosa
Length24 - 33 Inches
Wingspan57 Inches

Great Gray Owl

Great Gray Owl: Large owl, dark gray body interspersed with bars and flecks of brown, pale gray, and white. Head is large and without ear tufts. Yellow eyes are relatively small. Bulky appearance when perching due to dense, fluffy plumage, long wings extending past body, and relatively long tail.

● Song: "whooooooo-woo-wo", "hoot"

● Foraging & Feeding: Great Gray Owl: Feeds primarily on small rodents such as voles and pocket gophers; also consumes shrews and birds. Hunts from a perch, from which it locates prey with its keen sense of hearing.

● Breeding & nesting: Great Gray Owl: Two to five white eggs are laid in an abandoned stick nest made by hawks, ravens, or crows. Female incubates eggs for 28 to 29 days.

● Similar species: Great Gray Owl: Barred Owl is smaller, has brown eyes, and is brown and white overall.

Flight Pattern

Silent direct flight., Quick, deep wing strokes., Several powerful wing beats.
Great Gray Owl Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Great Gray Owl: Found from Alaska across Canada, down the northern Rocky Mountains, and in northern Minnesota; also in northern Europe and Asia. Preferred habitats include stunted coniferous forests along the edge of the Arctic treeline and mixed or coniferous forests.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationRare to uncommon
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight27.2 Ounces