Great Horned Owls and the Pfau Library: About the Great Horned Owls

Great Horned mother owl nesting, photo by Robert Whitehead

THEY WERE here before us—before the campus was built, even before the grapevines were planted at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. The land our campus stands on has always been a habitat for wildlife, and Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) nest here.

During early winter, they mate and then begin searching for an abandoned nest—preferably one made by hawks or crows—that they can claim for their own. They do not build nests; they only refurbish them.

On the CSUSB campus, such nests are usually located somewhere on certain buildings or in trees. After lining the nest with bits of bark, tufts of fur from prey, and some of their own downy feathers, they settle in. About four weeks later, the female owl lays from one to four eggs. After the eggs hatch, the parents begin to raise their young, but not always without incident.

To read more, please visit the link Great Horned Owls and a rescue at the Pfau – and scroll down to the title story in the Peacock.