Great horned owls are typical nocturnal hunters, though occasionally they are seen in daylight. When owls are not hunting, they are anything but silent. They have blood curdling screams, hoots, whistles, coughs and screeches. Their night sounds are sometimes territorial warnings to other males or, more often, mating calls. A variety of animals are included in the owl's diet such as shrews, rabbits, squirrels, skunks, hawks, fish and frogs.
Prey is taken to a regular feeding perch or the nest to be eaten, usually in whole or large pieces.
Twelve to eighteen hours later a pellet is regurgitated. Along with providing the bird with a means of getting rid of the undigestible parts of its prey, the regurgitation of the pellet scrapes off bacteria growing in the owl's throat. Great horned owls do not build their own nest. A nest is rarely used more than once and any damage done to the nest is not repaired. They raise one brood of young per year.