Shortly after sunrise this morning I found this pair of Great Horned Owls north of Tucson. They are obviously a pair, and the owls were sitting on opposite sides of the same tree. If I was back home, I would call the female’s coloration “Arctic Phase” (a recognized subspecies), but the desert is quite a long ways from the frozen north. Does anyone know if there is a “Desert Phase” Great Horned Owl?I assume the coloration helps the female owl blend in with the huge amount of grey perches and when she incubates and cares for the young owlets (not leaving the nest for 8+ weeks). Nesting has to be imminent.
Desert Phase Great Horned Owl … the female
Normal Color Great Horned Owl ... the male
Hi Rich! First off this is my favorite blog I have stumbled across and I check it almost every day, your pictures along with the insight of your write-ups are fantastic. I was recently in Lost Dutchman State Park east of Phoenix and my girlfriend and I spotted a Great Horned Owl perched on a dead tree. I remember thinking it looked light but not as light as the one you have pictured. I don’t have an answer to your question, just wanted to share! Was our first time seeing a Great Horned Owl which is funny to me as we are from MN as well and would have expected to see one around here before spotting one in AZ.
I think GHO’s and their nests are much easier to find in Arizona. The number of trees is waaaay fewer. The owls have no where near as many spots to hide!
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Thanks for your kind words about my blog.