The Great Gray Owl is the largest owl in North America by length, with an enormous facial disc that acts as a parabolic reflector to focus sound from prey moving beneath two feet of snow. Despite its imposing size, it is a relatively light bird — mostly feathers. It hunts by plunging through snow crusts to catch voles detected by sound alone.
Best time to see a Great Gray Owl
The best time to see a Great Gray Owl is January–May, when about 62% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 1,858 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a Great Gray Owl? What bird is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
Recent Great Gray Owl sightings near you
Live, research-grade observations from iNaturalist. Allow location to center the map on you.
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