Bubo virginianus; Print; The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus); also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl; is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas. Its primary diet is rabbits and hares; rats and mice; and voles; although it freely hunts any animal it can overtake; including rodents and other small mammals; larger mid-sized mammals; birds; reptiles; amphibians; and invertebrates. In ornithological study; the great horned owl is often compared to the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo); a closely related species; which despite the latter's notably larger size; occupies the same ecological niche in Eurasia; and the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis); with which it often shares similar habitat; prey; and nesting habits by day; thus is something of a diurnal ecological equivalent. The great horned owl is one of the earliest nesting birds in North America; often laying eggs weeks or even months before other raptorial birds.; 1700-1880