For most top predators, their only threat is humans. Like many raptors, these owls are top predators – they hunt other animals for food but no animals hunt them on a regular basis. The adult Great-horned Owl can be quite vocal, with a deep, but loud 'hoo-hoo-hoo hoo hoo.' The young in the nest can also be quite loud, making screeching and hissing noises comparable to those of the Barn Owl. It has large powerful feathered feet which it uses to take down prey often times much larger than itself.

It has bright yellow eyes and feathery ear tufts, which give it its name. This large owl is mottled with a multitude of colors from grey to black and brown to beige and white. It tends to hunt in areas that are more open, while it roosts and nests in more forested habitats. It is even adapted to living in urban areas and can sometimes be found in city parks or campgrounds. From deserts to deciduous forests, from pampas to praries, from tundra to tropical rainforest, and from mangroves to mountains, the Great-horned Owl can be found in all but the most extreme environments.

This owl's adaptability and wide prey base allows it to survive and thrive in just about any type of habitat. It is absent from a few notable areas throughout the Americas, however, including the Amazon Basin. It can found living in the tundra of North America all the way south to Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of South America. The Great-horned Owl is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.

Are owls nocturnal