Today, I want to write about one of the most beautiful of all raptors, the great grey owl.
Here are five interesting facts about them:
- They are the tallest of all owls and only a couple of species are heavier than the great grey owl. Females are larger than males and can grow up to 84 cm tall, with a wingspan of 1.5 metres.
- They have the largest facial disc of any raptor, helping to give them an amazing sense of hearing.
- This excellent hearing helps them with their hunting, as they can hear small rodents through 2 feet of snow. When they hear their prey through the snow, they crash through the snow and catch their food.
- They don’t make their own nests, but use nests that have been made by other large birds. They lay 2-5 eggs at a time and aggressively defend their young against potential predators, even attacking black bears.
- Great grey owls are not considered endangered and live in forests near clearings across North America, in Scandinavia and throughout Russia and northern Asia.
I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.
Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about great grey owls?
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Hi Darren, I wondered if you owned the image of the Great Grey Owl in this blog? I would like to use it if possible. Thanks, Matt
Hi Matt, no, we don’t own this image
the owl is so GREAT!!!