The Great-Horned Owl... this Great Duke
The name of the Great-Horned Owl is Grand-duc d'Amérique in French. Like other French speakers, I just say Grand-duc (Great Duke in English) when I speak of the Great-Horned Owl. This name always makes me smile, because I find this bird to have a noble air and the name Grand Duke is perfect for him.
Here are my best photos of these majesties of nature.
The length of the male is 46-58.5 cm and 56-63 cm for the female. The weight of the male is 1318 g and that of the female 1769 g. The wingspan of their wings is 91.4 to 152.4 cm.
The record for longevity in the wild is 20 years and more than 30 in captivity. Ecomuseum Zoo
This is Thalie. She was bringing this Great Horned Olw back to its habitat. I took this photo from a distance of about 10-15 feet and without speaking to her so as not to distract from her work. Thalie had to convince the bird to go perch on this tree trunk, and then untie the bird from its hawk glove. Then, leave the habitat.
