Measuring a Night Owl: teacher key

Great Horned Owls, grade 7 edition, written for 7th grade. Read what sources report about a great horned owl's size and weight, and what it sees, eats and does through its year.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. According to the Animal Diversity Web, what is the average mass of a female great horned owl?
   • About 0.7 kg
   • About 1.7 kg (answer)
   • About 7 kg
2. What does the Owl Research Institute say about a great horned owl's talons?
   • They can grip prey with up to 28 pounds of force (answer)
   • They are 28 inches long
   • They glow in the dark
3. Which owl has the widest prey base of any North American owl?
   • The great horned owl (answer)
   • The tiniest owl
   • No owl does
4. How do great horned owl eyes compare with the eyes of other owls, in proportion to the brain?
   • They are smaller
   • They are even larger (answer)
   • They are the same
5. Great horned owls are most commonly found where woodland and open fields are mixed. What kind of place is that?
   • Only a desert
   • Land with both woods and open fields (answer)
   • Only open water
6. What status does The Peregrine Fund list for the great horned owl, as of November 2026?
   • Least Concern (answer)
   • Rare
   • Unknown

Words

• sockets: eye holes
• perch: a high seat
• pellets: small lumps
• talons: sharp claws
• territory: claimed area