The Story
I photographed this Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) at the Avian Reconditioning Center in Apopka, Florida, United States, in October 2020, showing its ear tufts, sharp talons and beak. It is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas. It eats mainly rabbits, hares, rats, mice and voles, and it is one of the few regular predators of skunks. It is 43 to 64 centimeters long, with a wingspan of 91 to 153 centimeters, and like other owls it flies almost silently. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. The center reaches people of all ages through education programs, special yearly events and its Saturdays at ARC visits.
©2023 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) belongs to the family Strigidae (Owls) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2018), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List