Credit: Greg Schneider
North American field guide
Great Gray Owl
Strix nebulosa
Also known as:Lapland Owl, Great Grey Owl
Explore this bird
Identification
Field notes
61-84 cm (24-33") Rare and local in Rockies in dense coniferous forests with adjacent meadows; more common in far northern boreal forests, wooded bogs. Irrupts southward in some years.
Largest North American owl; dusky gray overall; large heavily ringed facial disk; two white marking below black chin like a white bow-tie; small yellow eyes; no ear tufts; streaked underside; relatively long tail.
Very tame.
Often hunts by day.
Song: deep booming "whoo-hoo-hoo".
Details in the field
Photo gallery
Credit: Greg Schneider
Credit: Greg Schneider
Credit: Greg Schneider
Credit: Greg Schneider
Credit: Greg Schneider
Bird Advisor Identification rules 1 variant · 1 rule
These are the observation paths the Bird Advisor can use to identify this species. Each rule is an alternative match.
Great Gray Owl
1 ruleRule 1 7 criteria · confidence 2
- Did the owl have EAR TUFTS ?
- No · Unknown
- What SHAPE was the BILL ?
- Hooked · Unknown
- What LENGTH was the BILL ?
- Very short · Short · Unknown
- What colour were the EYES ?
- White or light gray · Yellow or olive · Unknown
- What was the predominant colour of the HEAD ?
- Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
- How BIG was the bird ?
- Crow-sized · Goose-sized · Larger than a goose
- What TYPE of bird was seen ?
- Owl