The Great Grey Owl

The Chouette Lapone: The Great Grey Owl

© laurent nicolaon

• Also known as the Lapland Owl
• Latin name: Strix nebulosa
• The Great Grey Owl can be found from Scandinavia across Siberia to Sakhalin, Alaska, Canada, and parts of the north-western United States.
• The name "nebulosa" comes from the Latin for misty or foggy
• Length:  60-85cm    24-34"       
• Wingspan:  130-150cm    52-60"       
• Weight:  790-1450g    29-51oz

The owls are predominantly diurnal, usually hunting in the early morning or late afternoon, but will also hunt at night or other daylight hours. They feed mainly on small rodents, with voles being the main prey, especially in the USA & Canada. Other prey are gophers, weasels, squirrels, rabbits, rats & mice, occassionally small birds & amphibians & reptiles will be taken. Their prefered method of hunting is 'still hunting' from a perch, occasionally they will hunt by flying a metre or two above the ground for short distances, they rarely glide while hunting.

The Great Grey Owl has a very distinctive large, strongly lined, facial disc, with bright yellow eyes. The facial disc aids the owl's keen hearing, most of the hunting is done mainly by sound. In snowy conditions, the owls hunt be sound alone, and are able to locate their prey in up to 12" of snow.

The Great Grey Owl is the largest owl in America by size, though not by weight (that honour goes to the Great Horned Owl). Despite its apparent large size, the majority of the bulk of the bird is feathers. This is an adaptation to the cold regions that it inhabits.

In the wild, the main cause of death is starvation. Their natural enemies are Great Horned Owls, martens & wolverines.

Possibly due to its lack of contact with man, the Great Grey Owl is known to be a very bold bird. It will vigourously defend its nesting site, if disturbed, even to the extent of attacking humans & bears.

The Great Grey Owls nest mainly in abandoned nest of other birds, often made by crows or hawks. Usually, between 2 and 6 eggs are laid (on average 3, but sometimes up to 9) at 1 to 2 day intervals. The female does all of the incubation, which starts when the first egg is laid. The incubation period is from 4 to 6 weeks. The male provides all the food for the young, which is torn into smaller pieces by the female prior to feeding. The young leave the nest after 3 to 4 weeks and are fully fledged within about 8 weeks. The young stay near the nest and are cared for by the female for some time after leaving the nest.

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© laurent nicolaon