Baby Great Horned Owls: All You Need To Know (with Pictures)

Great horned owls are majestic birds of prey with their signature “horns” protruding from their tips. These highly adaptable carnivores live across much of the Americas, from Alaska and Canada to the subtropical rainforests of Central and South America.

Adult great horned owls are elusive enough on their own, but what about baby great horned owls?

What does a baby great horned owl look like?

Lesser great horned owls are late-living, which means they are nude and barely move in their nests.

Like many young birds, juvenile great horned owls are very fragile and unable to regulate their body temperature, which means they cannot keep themselves warm. As a result, one of their parents (usually the female) almost always stays in the nest for at least 1 to 2 weeks.

The young great horned owl cubs were also blind and unable to open their eyes. They closed their eyes for up to ten days. After about 10 days, the chicks begin to open their eyes and move around the nest.

Despite their small initial size, these little owls grow at an amazing rate, increasing their weight from about 30 to 50 grams to about 1 kg in 25 to 30 days!

This equates to 30 to 33 grams (about 1 ounce) per day. After about 30 to 40 days, weight gain will slow down. After about three weeks, great horned owl chicks are fairly alert and active inside the nest.

Three young great horned owl chicks in the nest

What does a juvenile great horned owl look like?

Juvenile great horned owls are initially covered with a thick layer of white down, which grows over their naked bodies after about a week to 10 days. The great horned owl’s signature ear hairs grow in about three weeks.

After two to three months, young owls are covered with most of their adult feathers, though this may take several months to fully develop.

Wings develop after about six weeks, at which point the chicks move to a branch for their first flight. The chicks remain with their parents for the remainder of the breeding season and most of the summer.

Juveniles have been observed to beg for up to 4 to 5 months after leaving the nest! Most juvenile great horned owls gain independence from their parents sometime from early to mid-winter (October to January in most studies).

Close up of a juvenile great horned owl

How big is a baby great horned owl?

At birth, great horned owl babies are tiny, only a few centimeters long. They are born late, which means they are naked and blind.

Although born small, great horned owls grow rapidly, reaching about 75 percent of their adult size and weight through eclosion.

How much do baby great horned owls weigh?

Little great horned owls weigh about 35 grams (1.2 ounces) at birth. Women tend to be slightly heavier than men. By 25 to 30 days, young owls weigh approximately 800 grams (male) to 1,000 grams (female). This is about 75% of their adult body weight of around 1.4kg.

As we’ve seen, baby great horned owls grow surprisingly quickly during their first few weeks of life. However, when they feather, weight gain slows down considerably. It takes several months for a young owl to grow from a birth weight of about 1 kg to an adult weight of 1.4 kg.

Two juvenile Great Horned Owls in their nest

What is the baby great horned owl’s name?

Like other small owls, the little great horned owl is known as the little owl. They are also more commonly known as chicks.

At birth, like other baby birds, great horned owls are called chicks after they hatch. When they stay in the nest, they are called fledglings, and when they leave the nest, they are called fledglings. After that, they are called juveniles and finally adults.

What do baby great horned owls eat?

Baby great horned owls eat only meat. While the male hunts, the female usually stays with the chicks.

The female tears the food into small pieces and feeds it to the chicks directly from their mouths. The roles are sometimes mixed and swapped. Hares, rabbits, voles and other rodents are some of the most common foods.

Great horned owl feeding a chick in the nest

Do both parents feed baby great horned owls?

Females primarily feed baby great horned owls, while males hunt prey for both.

As the chicks’ need for food increases, the female joins the hunt. The male and female roles do sometimes reverse, and both males and females have been observed to raise chicks individually if the other disappears or dies.

What do great horned owl eggs look like?

Great horned owl eggs are very rounded rather than oval or oval like other bird eggs. In fact, they are considered to have the roundest eggs of any bird. Eggs are dull white in color and have a rough texture on the outside.

Close up of a little great horned owl

How big are great horned owl eggs?

Great horned owl eggs measure approximately 55 to 56 x 45 to 47 mm. As we can see, the length and width measurements are very similar, which clearly indicates the roundness of the egg.

How long does it take for great horned owl eggs to hatch?

Incubation time for great horned owl eggs is about 30 to 37 days, with an average of about 33 days. Eggs hatch at slightly different times, sometimes 2 days apart.

Perched with two Great Horned Owl cubs

How many children does a great horned owl have?

On average, a great horned owl may raise two young (chicks).

Great horned owls lay 1 to 4 eggs, rarely 5. Most spawns have only 2 eggs. Of the two eggs, it is certainly possible that the two chicks survived at least until they developed wings.

When Do Great Horned Owls Lay Eggs?

Spawning varies by latitude and region. In Florida, for example, great horned owls may rarely lay their eggs in November.

In most parts of the United States, most first litters are born between January and February. In contrast, in Canada’s Yukon and Saskatchewan, spawning can occur as late as June.

Interestingly, spawning times vary by habitat and microclimate. For example, great scops owls can lay eggs up to 1 month earlier than other scops owls in warm microclimates or semi-urban areas.

In Central and South America, spawning occurs most of the year and varies by region and habitat.

Collectively, the great horned owl is thought to be one of the first egg-laying birds in North America.

Close-up of two Great Horned Owls

How do great horned owls feed their young?

One of the larger owls, great horned owls care for their young for long periods of time. Juvenile owls can sometimes be seen begging for food from their parents during the first 4 to 5 months of their fledgling days.

Young owls do not separate from their parents until they are able to effectively catch larger prey such as voles and hares.

How long do great horned owl babies stay with their parents?

Great horned owl babies can stay with their parents most of the time between 6 and 9 months. This takes them from as early as January and February all the way as late as October, November and beyond.

Great Horned Owls are large birds with a slow, patient life cycle and small brood sizes averaging two chicks. Therefore, parents do their best to raise their chicks for the safety of their offspring.