Great Horned Owl Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Song

Song
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California, April 01, 1954Recorded by William R. Fish / Macaulay Library
Duet
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California, April 01, 1954Recorded by William R. Fish / Macaulay Library
Duet
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Madre de Dios, August 06, 1994Recorded by Curtis Marantz / Macaulay Library
Female calls
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Connecticut, October 01, 1995Recorded by Sean O'Brien / Macaulay Library
Begging calls
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New York, August 13, 1964Recorded by David T. Spaulding / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

Great Horned Owls advertise their territories with deep, soft hoots with a stuttering rhythm: hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo. The male and female of a breeding pair may perform a duet of alternating calls, with the female’s voice recognizably higher in pitch than the male’s.

Calls

Young owls give piercing screams when begging for food, while adults may scream to defend the nest. Adults make an array of other sounds, including whistles, barks, shrieks, hisses, coos, and wavering cries.

Other Sounds

Great Horned Owls snap their bills in response to stressful conditions or disturbance, particularly when potential predators (such as humans) approach their young.