Bird

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Lives in Mississippi all year and nests here. Found in all 82 counties, across 23 habitats.

Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 82 counties
Habitats: 23

Male Great Horned Owl, whole bird — **Male**. no rights reserved. CC0. iNaturalist photo 353833538. iNaturalist large derivative; no local crop or retouch.

At a glance

Group: Birds
Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 82 counties
Habitats: 23
Habitat models: Year-round

Where it lives

The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.

Habitats in Mississippi 23

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 23

Year-roundSouthern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Taxodium Modifier; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Bay/Gum Modifier; Southern Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall; East Gulf Coastal Plain Tidal Wooded Swamp; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp; Lower Mississippi River Bottomland Depressions - Forest Modifier; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Cypress Dome; Mississippi River Bottomland DepressionJoseph Rusling Meeker, The Land of Evangeline (1874): moss-hung trees over a still bayou in Louisiana swamp forest. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Louisiana bayou country (Meeker, The Land of Evangeline, 1874), a neighboring state.The Land of Evangeline, Joseph Rusling Meeker, 1874. Public domain. Source record.

Coastal dunes and beaches

Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.

Year-roundUnconsolidated Shore (Beach/Dune); Florida Panhandle Beach Vegetation; East Gulf Coastal Plain Dune and Coastal Grassland; Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Interdunal Wetland

Coastal Plain hammocks

Dense, evergreen groves of live oak, magnolia and other hardwoods in the southern Coastal Plain, from dry oak domes to wet hydric hammocks and south Florida's tropical hammocks; salt-shaped maritime hammocks are maritime forests.

Year-roundSouthern Coastal Plain Oak Dome and Hammock

Coastal Plain seepage bogs

Open, wet, seepage-fed bogs of the Coastal Plain and Sandhills, often with pitcher plants.

Year-roundSouthern Coastal Plain Herbaceous Seepage Bog

Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)

Tidal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the source does not say whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt. A stated salinity files the marsh under freshwater tidal marshes or salt and brackish marshes instead.

Year-round

Disturbed and introduced wetlands

Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Year-round

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Year-roundEast Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier; Mississippi River Riparian Forest; Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Floodplain Forest; Southern Coastal Plain Blackwater River Floodplain Forest; Mississippi River Floodplain and Riparian Forest

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

Year-roundDisturbed/Successional - Shrub Regeneration; Successional Shrub/Scrub (Other); Harvested Forest - Shrub Regeneration

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

Year-roundSouthern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Nupea Modifier

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Open, thin-soil openings and rock on limestone, dolomite or other lime-rich rock, including cedar glades.

Year-roundEast Gulf Coastal Plain Dry Chalk Bluff

Hardwood and oak flatwoods

Flat, poorly drained uplands and terraces with oaks, sweetgum and sometimes loblolly pine, wet in winter and dry in summer, but neither a floodplain nor a swamp.

Year-roundEast Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Plain Dry Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loblolly-Hardwood Flatwoods

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

Year-roundEast Gulf Coastal Plain Maritime Forest

Pine flatwoods

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

Year-roundEast Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

Year-roundEast Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet Prairie

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.

Year-roundOpen Water (Fresh)

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

Year-roundEast Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Prairie and Woodland

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Year-roundDeveloped, Open Space; Cultivated Cropland; Pasture/Hay; Disturbed/Successional - Grass/Forb Regeneration; Utility Swath - Herbaceous; Disturbed, Non-specific; Ruderal Upland - Old Field

Salt and brackish marshes

Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.

Year-roundMississippi Sound Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh

Sounds, bays and tidal flats

Salt and brackish open water of sounds, bays and estuaries, with the mud and sand flats and seagrass beds that tides cover and uncover; the vegetated marsh is salt and brackish marshes.

Year-roundOpen Water (Brackish/Salt)

Tree plantations and managed pine

Planted or intensively managed stands of pine or hardwoods grown for timber; a land use rather than a natural community.

Year-roundDeciduous Plantation; Evergreen Plantation or Managed Pine; Managed Tree Plantation

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Year-roundBeside its main habitat.East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest; Southern Coastal Plain Dry Upland Hardwood Forest

Moderately dry forests

Forests between dry and moist, often oak-hickory on slopes.

Year-roundBeside its main habitat.East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Year-roundBeside its main habitat.East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Bluff Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loess Bluff Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Mesic Hardwood Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Mesic Slope Forest

Other habitats in its models (225)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Mississippi. Those recorded in Mississippi first, the rest by region.

Elsewhere in the South (126)

Appalachian Shale Barrens Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Maritime Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry and Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood and Mixed Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Sea Island Beach Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Brownwater River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Beach Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Maritime Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Wet Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Xeric River Dune Year-round.
Central and South Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Year-round.
Central and Southern Appalachian Montane Oak Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Central and Southern Appalachian Northern Hardwood Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Central and Southern Appalachian Spruce-Fir Forest Year-round.
Central and Upper Texas Coast Dune and Coastal Grassland Year-round.
Central Atlantic Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Year-round.
Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Year-round.
Central Florida Herbaceous Seep Year-round.
Central Florida Pine Flatwoods Year-round.
Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens Year-round.
Central Interior Highlands Dry Acidic Glade and Barrens Year-round.
Crosstimbers Oak Forest and Woodland Year-round.
Cumberland Riverscour Year-round.
Cumberland Sandstone Glade and Barrens Year-round.
East-Central Texas Plains Pine Forest and Woodland Year-round.
East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland Year-round.
East-Central Texas Plains Riparian Forest Year-round.
Edwards Plateau Limestone Savanna and Woodland Year-round.
Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Florida Dry Prairie Year-round.
Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub Year-round.
Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Year-round.
Louisiana Beach Year-round.
Lower Mississippi River Dune Woodland and Forest Year-round.
Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Year-round.
Mississippi Delta Maritime Forest Year-round.
Mississippi River Alluvial Plain Dry-Mesic Loess Slope Forest Year-round.
Nashville Basin Limestone Glade Year-round.
Northern Crowley's Ridge Sand Forest Year-round.
Ouachita Montane Oak Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Ozark-Ouachita Dry Oak Woodland Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Ozark-Ouachita Mesic Hardwood Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Bluestem Woodland Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest and Woodland Year-round.
Red River Large Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Ridge and Valley Calcareous Valley Bottom Glade and Woodland Year-round.
South Florida Bayhead Swamp Year-round.
South Florida Cypress Dome Year-round.
South Florida Dwarf Cypress Savanna Year-round.
South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh Year-round.
South Florida Freshwater Slough and Gator Hole Year-round.
South Florida Hardwood Hammock Year-round.
South Florida Pine Flatwoods Year-round.
South Florida Pine Rockland Year-round.
South Florida Wet Marl Prairie Year-round.
South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods Year-round.
South-Central Interior Large Floodplain Year-round.
South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian Year-round.
Southeast Florida Beach Year-round.
Southeast Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Year-round.
Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Year-round.
Southeastern Interior Longleaf Pine Woodland Year-round.
Southern and Central Appalachian Bog and Fen Year-round.
Southern and Central Appalachian Cove Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Southern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Southern Appalachian Granitic Dome Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Low Mountain Pine Forest Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Montane Cliff Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Montane Pine Forest and Woodland Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Rocky Summit Year-round.
Southern Blackland Tallgrass Prairie Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Hydric Hammock Year-round.
Southern Crowley's Ridge Mesic Loess Slope Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Southern Interior Acid Cliff Year-round.
Southern Interior Calcareous Cliff Year-round.
Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Southern Piedmont Cliff Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Glade and Barrens Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Granite Flatrock Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Mesic Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Southern Piedmont Small Floodplain and Riparian Forest Year-round.
Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Southwest Florida Beach Year-round.
Southwest Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Year-round.
Southwest Florida Dune and Coastal Grassland Year-round.
Tamaulipan Calcareous Thornscrub Year-round.
Tamaulipan Mixed Deciduous Thornscrub Year-round.
Texas Coastal Bend Beach Year-round.
Texas Saline Coastal Prairie Year-round.
Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Year-round.
Upper Texas Coast Beach Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Catahoula Barrens Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Chenier and Upper Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River Swamp Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Nepheline Syenite Glade Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Nonriverine Wet Hardwood Flatwoods Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Calcareous Prairie Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Flatwoods Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Forest Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Sandhill Oak and Shortleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Forest Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Calcareous Prairie Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Year-round.
Western Great Plains Mesquite Woodland and Shrubland Year-round.

Northeast (14)

Acadian Low-Elevation Spruce-Fir-Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Appalachian Hemlock-Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Year-round.
Central Appalachian Alkaline Glade and Woodland Year-round.
Central Appalachian Oak and Pine Forest Year-round.
Central Appalachian Pine-Oak Rocky Woodland Year-round.
North-Central Appalachian Acidic Cliff and Talus Year-round.
North-Central Appalachian Circumneutral Cliff and Talus Year-round.
North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods Year-round.
Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Northeastern Interior Pine Barrens Year-round.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry Hardwood Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.

Midwest (12)

Central Interior Acidic Cliff and Talus Year-round.
Central Interior Calcareous Cliff and Talus Year-round.
Central Mixedgrass Prairie Year-round.
Central Tallgrass Prairie Year-round.
North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland Year-round.
North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland Year-round.
North-Central Interior Maple-Basswood Forest Year-round, beside its main habitat.
North-Central Interior Oak Savanna Year-round.
North-Central Interior Sand and Gravel Tallgrass Prairie Year-round.
North-Central Oak Barrens Year-round.
Western Great Plains Wooded Draw and Ravine Year-round.

Land cover and other classes (73)

Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Hardwood Year-round.
Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Pine Modifier Year-round.
Arkansas Valley Prairie and Woodland Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Forested Wetland Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-Line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Oak Dominated Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Taxodium/Nyssa Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall Year-round.
Barren Land Year-round.
Central Appalachian Riparian - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems Year-round.
Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems Year-round.
Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems Year-round.
Central Interior and Appalachian Swamp Systems Year-round.
Developed, Low Intensity Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Woodland Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Hardwood Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Year-round, beside its main habitat.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest - Offsite Pine Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Hardwood Modifier Year-round, beside its main habitat.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Juniper Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Year-round.
Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Year-round.
Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Year-round.
Eastern Highland Rim Prairie and Barrens - Dry Modifier Year-round.
Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Open Understory Modifier Year-round.
Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Year-round.
Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Treed Year-round.
Modified/Managed Southern Tall Grassland Year-round.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Year-round.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Virginia/Pitch Pine Modifier Year-round.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest-Hardwood Modifier Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Open Water (Aquaculture) Year-round.
Quarries, Mines, Gravel Pits and Oil Wells Year-round.
Recently Burned Grassland Year-round.
Recently Burned Shrubland Year-round.
South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Forest Modifier Year-round.
South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Year-round.
Southern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest - Xeric Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Southern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald - Herbaceous Modifier Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald - Shrub Modifier Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Clethra Modifier Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Pine Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Hardwood Modifier Year-round, beside its main habitat.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Loblolly Pine Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Mixed Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-Heath Forest - Mixed Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Large Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont/Ridge and Valley Upland Depression Swamp Year-round.
Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest - Pine modifier Year-round.
Tamaulipan Mesquite Upland Scrub Year-round.
Tamaulipan Riparian Systems Year-round.
Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Slough Year-round.
Unconsolidated Shore Year-round.
Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Year-round.
Western Great Plains Depressional Wetland Systems Year-round.
Western Great Plains Floodplain Systems Year-round.