Great Horned Owl

Look for

A huge, barrel-chested owl with prominent ear tufts ("horns"), bright yellow eyes, and a white throat patch. Mottled gray-brown plumage, warm underneath with fine horizontal barring.

Much bulkier than a Barred Owl — heavier, thicker, more menacing. When one's perched at dusk, you understand the old nickname "tiger of the woods."

Size: ~22" tall, ~4.5-foot wingspan, up to ~3.5 lb — the heaviest owl in Memphis.

Listen for

• Call: a deep, resonant "hoo-hoo...hoo-hoo...hoo" — four or five slow hoots, the classic Halloween owl sound. Males are lower-pitched than females.
• Pair duets: male and female call back and forth at different pitches.
• Begging young (April–June): a raspy, shrieking "kssssss-eeeeeep" that sounds nothing like the adults and often confuses people.

Where in Memphis

Widespread and surprisingly urban — a pair can hold territory in any Memphis cemetery, park, or neighborhood with big trees.

• Overton Park, Shelby Farms, Meeman-Shelby, Wolf River
• Elmwood Cemetery and other large old cemeteries
• Quiet suburbs with mature pines and oaks

They're earlier nesters than almost any other Memphis bird — eggs are often laid in late January, when ice is still possible.

Behavior

• Apex nocturnal predator. They eat rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, skunks, opossums, other owls, hawks, crows, ducks, even domestic cats. Nothing its size is off-limits.
• One of the few things that eats skunks — they have a poor sense of smell and don't care.
• Nest thieves. They don't build nests — they take over old hawk, crow, or squirrel nests. Great Horned Owls frequently evict Red-tailed Hawks from their own nests in January.
• Silent flight. Comb-like feather edges break turbulence; wingbeats are inaudible.
• Insane grip. Talon pressure estimated at 500 psi — enough to snap the spine of a rabbit instantly.

Story & folklore

"Tiger of the Woods"

Old Southern name, and for good reason. In the raptor ecosystem, Great Horned Owls are the top predator at night — they outweigh every other owl in Memphis, eat species their own size, and can kill things far larger than a hunter expects. Ornithologists still use "tiger-owl" in some contexts.

The cemetery owls

If you want to find a Great Horned Owl in Memphis, go to a big old cemetery at dusk. Elmwood Cemetery, Memorial Park, and the historic urban cemeteries are classic territories — quiet, mature trees, rodent populations, and no one disturbing them at night. A tradition among local birders is the New Year's Day cemetery owl walk.

Nesting in ice

Great Horned Owls nest earlier than any other Memphis bird — courtship hooting peaks in December, eggs often hatch in February. Females sit on eggs through ice storms, sometimes with snow on their heads. The early start times young owlets to fledge when prey (baby rabbits, fledgling songbirds) floods the landscape in spring.

Native American symbolism

Across many Southeastern tribes — Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee — owls broadly carry associations with death, witchcraft, or spirit messengers. The Great Horned's low, deliberate hoots and huge silhouette made it the canonical owl in those traditions. (Beliefs vary widely tribe to tribe and shouldn't be flattened.)

Fighting a camera

Great Horned Owls are aggressive parents. There are dozens of documented cases of them attacking humans who approached nests — occasionally taking off hats, glasses, or scalp skin. Memphis joggers have occasionally been buzzed in cemeteries during nesting season.

Fun facts

• Great Horned Owls can turn their heads ~270° — like Barred Owls, close to but not a full rotation.
• Their "ear tufts" are not ears — they're just display feathers for camouflage and communication.
• Their actual ears are asymmetrical (one higher than the other), allowing 3D sound triangulation in pitch black.
• They mate for life and hold the same territory for many years.
• A Great Horned Owl can lift prey heavier than its own body weight.
• They're one of the most widespread owls in the Americas, ranging from Arctic treeline to Tierra del Fuego.
• The scientific name virginianus traces back to a 1788 specimen from Virginia — even though this owl is the most pan-American owl species.

Field notes (to add)

• Audio: pair-duet recording vs. single male hoot
• Elmwood Cemetery nest history (if records available)
• Comparison with Barred Owl: size, call, eye color, habitat overlap
• Egg/owlet timeline through February–June