Great Horned Owl

Overview

The Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), known as the “tiger of the air”, is the most formidable nocturnal raptor in the Americas. With ear-like feather tufts, piercing yellow eyes, and massive crushing talons, it rules the night canopy across deserts, forests, and mountains.

Habitat & Biology

Widespread across North and South America in almost every terrestrial habitat from Arctic treelines to tropical forests.

Musical Pairing & Sonic Spirit

Paired with Julee Cruise’s “Falling”, her hushed vocal over Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks theme: brooding synth pads, a slow-burning noir bassline, and haunting cinematic atmosphere (“The owls are not what they seem”).

Fun Facts

• One of the very few predators that routinely preys on striped skunks because owls possess virtually no sense of smell.
• Its talons take a force of 13 kg to open, and can sever the spinal column of prey larger than itself.
• It defends its nest hard: many bird banders have had clothing torn or suffered severe lacerations, so biologists working at a nest wear heavy jackets and industrial hard hats. Attacks on people are generally rare, though, and an owl may hoot repeatedly first to warn a person away.
• Their deep, booming “hoo-h’HOO–hoo-hoo” territorial calls can be heard carrying over two miles across nocturnal forests.