Great Horned Owl

A Great Horned Owl at Kelburn Country Park.

The Great Horned Owl has the reputation of being the only owl that has killed man. There are several variations on this story. One suggests the the person concerned was wearing a raccoon hat when walking close to a nesting site & was attacked by mistake. Another suggests that the person was attempting to reach the nest of the owl and was attacked in defence of the eggs or young. It has also been suggested that for whatever reason the person was attacked, he actually died of a heart attack, out of fright, rather than the owl physically killing him.

Several American Indian tribes believe they are associated with the souls of the dead. The American Indian Newuk tribe believed that when a virtuous person died, he would become a Great Horned Owl. (If he were wicked, he would become a Barn Owl). Similarly, the Pima Indians believed that at death one's soul passes into the body of a GHO & would place owl feathers in the hands of those about to die. The tribes native to the Sierras, believed thet the Great Horned Owl captured the souls of the dead and carried them to the underworld.

The Hopis Indians believed that the Great Horned Owl helped their peaches grow
They were believed to be a symbol of divine wisdom by the American Creek Indians. The medicine men would wear a stuffed Great Horned Owl as part of his headdress or attached to his arm, as if perched there. The Great Horned Owl, known as a "magic maker" was believed to be in contact with the spirit world, only the spiritual leader of the tribe could ask advice of the bird. If crossed by the shadow of a flying owl, the unfortunate person was believed to be cursed.