Quick Answer
No, foxes do not typically eat Great Horned owls. Great Horned owls are much larger and more powerful than foxes, so foxes would not be able to successfully hunt and kill a healthy adult Great Horned owl. While foxes sometimes eat eggs and nestlings of other bird species, Great Horned owls are very defensive of their nests and would likely fend off any foxes approaching. Overall, foxes and Great Horned owls coexist in many of the same habitats, but foxes do not view the large owls as prey.
Do Foxes Eat Birds?
Foxes are opportunistic predators and eat a varied omnivorous diet. Though small mammals like mice and voles make up the bulk of their diet, foxes do sometimes prey on birds as well. However, the birds foxes eat are usually smaller game birds, waterfowl, gallinaceous birds, and passerines rather than large predatory birds like Great Horned owls.
Some examples of birds commonly eaten by foxes include:
- Grouse
- Ptarmigans
- Ducks
- Geese
- Gulls
- Quail
- Pheasants
- Chickens
- Songbirds
Foxes employ various hunting strategies to catch birds, including stalking, ambush, and pouncing tactics. They may raid nests and eat eggs and nestlings. Their diet shifts seasonally, consuming more birds in spring/summer when breeding birds and their young are abundant.
Bird Hunting Strategies Used by Foxes
Strategy | Description |
---|---|
Stalking | Fox sneaks up slowly on roosting or foraging birds before rushing to pounce |
Ambush | Fox waits concealed for birds to come near then springs its attack |
Pouncing | Fox jumps high to land on low-flying, swimming, or roosting birds |
Nest raiding | Fox raids bird nests to eat eggs and nestlings |
However, foxes do not usually prey on large predatory birds like owls. Great Horned owls are much too large and powerful for a fox to successfully attack and kill.
Great Horned Owl Facts
The Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) is a large, powerful owl common across North and South America. Here are some key facts about these raptors:
- Wingspan ranges from 3.5 – 5 feet
- Weighs 2.5 – 3.5 pounds
- Powerful talons can exert 500 psi of pressure
- Have excellent low-light vision and great hearing
- Hunt medium-sized mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians
- Main predators are other Great Horned Owls
As these details illustrate, Great Horned Owls are formidable predators at the top of the food chain. Their large size, strong talons, and lethal hunting abilities make them more than a match for any fox that approached. Foxes weigh only 8 to 15 pounds – much smaller than the hefty owls.
Key Reasons Foxes Don’t Eat Great Horned Owls:
- Owls are too large and strong for foxes to overcome
- Owls have deadly talons and beaks to defend themselves
- Owls can fly away out of the fox’s reach
- Owls are not standard prey for foxes
- Healthy owls roost high in trees away from foxes
Do Foxes Eat Eggs or Nestlings?
Though they avoid tackling full-grown Great Horned Owls, foxes may sometimes eat owl eggs and nestlings when given the chance. Foxes are opportunistic predators and will raid the nests of birds to consume eggs. They may also grab unattended nestlings if accessing the nest while the parent birds are away.
Great Horned Owls nest high up in the branches of large trees or on cliff ledges. However, foxes are adept climbers and can sometimes access arboreal nests. If a nest is within reach, foxes may eat any owl eggs or defenseless owlets inside.
That said, Great Horned Owls are extremely protective parents and will aggressively defend their nest from potential predators. Foxes venturing near an active Great Horned Owl nest would be at high risk of being attacked and injured or killed by the adult owls. So in reality, foxes are unlikely to approach most Great Horned Owl nests due to the defense mounted by the parent owls.
Do Foxes and Great Horned Owls Coexist?
Yes, foxes and Great Horned Owls commonly coexist across much of North America. They occupy overlapping habitats like forests, woodlands, deserts, and wetlands.
However, there is little direct interaction between the two species. As discussed above, foxes do not prey on Great Horned Owls and the owls are not a food source for foxes. The owls may even prey on foxes on rare occasion.
More often, foxes and Great Horned Owls inhabit the same ecosystem but have minimal impact on each other. Both play roles as mid-level predators that help regulate prey populations like rodents, rabbits, and smaller birds. Their coexistence is an example of how very different predator species can adapt to occupy the same habitats.
Conclusion
In summary, foxes are highly unlikely to eat Great Horned Owls. The large owls are too powerful and dangerous for the much smaller foxes to successfully attack and kill. Foxes may opportunistically eat Great Horned Owl eggs or nestlings if they can access a nest site, but this is rare due to the owls’ aggressive nest defense. Overall, foxes and Great Horned owls commonly coexist in the same habitats across the Americas but do not significantly interact as predator and prey species. While foxes eat smaller birds, the Great Horned Owl is at the top of the food chain and not considered standard prey for foxes.