Size: The Great Gray Owl has a body length of about 24 - 33 inches, a wingspan of 4 1/2 - 5 feet, and weighs only 1 1/2 - 3 pounds, despite its large size.

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Habitat: Great Gray Owls prefer dense forests interspersed with open meadows, clearings, or bogs. This owl lives in taiga, boreal, and mountainous forests of North America and Eurasia The main food of this owl is small mammals, like voles, but it will also eat birds, amphibians, and insects. They hunt mainly during dusk and dawn from a perch at the forest edge or in a clearing, but will also hunt at night (nocturnal) and occasionally during the daytime .

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Natural enemies: Great Horned Owls, marten, and wolverines. Fatalities caused by humans include shootings, tangling in fences, road kills, and electrocutions.

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Facts: Great Gray Owls can hunt for prey under snow cover by using their keen sense of hearing. The owl will plunge feet first into the snow to catch a rodent that it never saw. Great Gray Owls are considered the largest of the North American owls, but the Snowy Owl and Great Horned Owl are heavier and more powerful.

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Author: Seth M

Published: 02/2007

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Bibliography http://fwp.mt.gov/fieldguide/detail_ABNSB12040.aspx http://www.outdooreyes.com/greatgrayowl.php3

http://www.owling.com/Great_Gray.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Gray_Owl

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Photo Credit: 16:08, 10 January 2007 . . Eleassar (Talk | contribs) . . 569×754 (106,176 bytes) (en:Great Grey Owl Here we see a Great Grey Owl venturing further south than usual in the Winter of 2004/2005. Taken by jok2000 | Talk January 22, 2005 in Whitby, [[:en:Ontario])