{"id":203,"date":"2020-04-23T23:55:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T23:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatbirdsareinmybackyard.com\/attract-great-horned-owls-to-your-yard-with-nest-box\/"},"modified":"2024-01-05T03:46:46","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T03:46:46","slug":"great-horned-owl-nest-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatbirdsareinmybackyard.com\/great-horned-owl-nest-box\/","title":{"rendered":"Attract Great Horned Owls to your yard with a nest box"},"content":{"rendered":"

This owl, the Great Horned Owl, is probably the most familiar of owls in North America. The deep resonant hooting on cold calm winter nights is familiar to many.<\/p>\n

Great Horned Owls are widely distributed throughout North and South America. They are absent only from the Arctic tundra, parts of the Amazon Basin, and the pampas grasslands.<\/p>\n

Nearly wherever you live in mainland United States you have Great Horned Owls near you.<\/p>\n

Would you like to attract them to your yard more frequently? Read on!<\/p>\n

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     Great Horned Owl by Greg Hume<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span>What makes your yard attractive to Great Horned Owls?<\/span><\/h2>\n

These large predators hunt by perching and waiting for prey to scurry by. Then they swoop in silently to attack. They thus need trees or poles for perching. They need some open rough grass or other open areas. They may be more common in second growth forests with edges and openings but they are common from forests to farmlands to cities.<\/p>\n

To attract Great Horned Owls to your yard requires that your property is large and has big trees and open space. It should also abut similar properties or undeveloped areas, woods, farmlands, or grasslands.<\/p>\n

There may be good reasons not to attract Great Horned Owls into your yard, though. They are fierce predators. They will hunt small prey such as squirrels and mice. They will hunt larger prey such as rabbits, grouse, and skunks. They hunt and eat all other owls! They will hunt housecats and even small dogs, up to about 15 pounds. So make sure that this large owl will be welcome on your property before enticing them into becoming full time residents.<\/p>\n

You can provide nest boxes and platforms to attract Great Horned Owls. I’ll discuss that after discussing natural nests.<\/p>\n

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        Great Horned Owl by brendan.lally<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span>Great Horned Owl nests in nature<\/span><\/h2>\n

Great Horned Owls use old hawk, magpie, and crow nests for their nests. They also nest in cliff crevices and derelict buildings and barns. Red-tailed Hawks, American Crows, and Common Ravens probably provide the most nests for Great Horned Owls. These widespread birds help the owl become equally widespread.<\/p>\n

These owls may use an old nest as is, without adding anything. Or they may add bark, leaves, or down feathers. They may crush their own owl pellets to add material to the nest.<\/p>\n

Courtship begins in winter. Pairs are often heard hooting in the night before the eggs are laid. Great Horned Owls nest from February to April in most places, to June in some locations.<\/p>\n

The female lays 1-4 eggs. They take 30-37 days to incubate until they hatch. The young remain in the nest for another 42 days before they are ready to fledge, leaving the nest.<\/p>\n

Old hawk and crow nests are rarely reused the next season. Raising young owls often damages the nest making it unusable the next season.<\/p>\n

How do you find Great Horned Owl nests? In spring, before the leaves come out, check large trees along fence lines between agricultural fields. Check trees along creeks and rivers. Check trees at the edge of the woods. What do you look for? Old hawk and crow nests. Look for horns sticking up above old hawk nests, as in the photo above!<\/p>\n

<\/span>The Great Horned Owl nest box<\/span><\/h2>\n

You can create a nest for Great Horned Owls by building a wire cone lined with sticks to mimic the nest of a hawk. Here are the pdf nest plans<\/a> from Nestwatch and the Cornell Lab.<\/p>\n

You can also build a nest tray to attach to a tree trunk. Again, weave sticks together to imitate a crow or hawk nest. (Look at how the nest platform is made in the video below.) Add smaller twigs or straw and pack it down to make it firmer for the eggs.<\/p>\n

I’ve even seen a Great Horned Owl using a large metal washtub in a tree as a nest!<\/p>\n

These owls may nest in a very large box as long as the entrance “hole” is at least 12 inches high.<\/p>\n

Great Horned Owl nest box dimensions<\/h3>\n

These owls usually use a nest with an open top. They may also nest in large boxes with one open side.<\/p>\n

Great Horned Owl nest platform dimensions overview<\/b><\/p>\n