🦉 Great horned owl vs Northern goshawk 🦅
The great horned owl and the northern goshawk are about the same size. The great horned owl weighs about one and a half times as much as the northern goshawk.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦉 Great horned owl | 🦅 Northern goshawk |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 18 to 25 in46 to 63 cm1 | 22 to 24 in55 to 61 cm2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The great horned owl weighs about one and a half times as much as the northern goshawk. | 2.2 to 3.8 lb998 g to 1.7 kg3 | 1.4 to 3 lb630 g to 1.4 kg2 |
| Lives The great horned owl lives a bit longer than the northern goshawk. | 13 to 15 years13 to 15 years3 | 11 years11 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks | birds, mammals, reptiles and insects |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America | mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia |
Which one? Great horned owl or northern goshawk
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the great horned owl or the northern goshawk yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Great horned owl vs Northern goshawk
- The great horned owl: Its "horns" are just feathers, and it can turn its head far around.
- The northern goshawk: A forest hawk with a long tail and broad wings.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The great horned owl and the northern goshawk are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- The great horned owl weighs about one and a half times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- The great horned owl lives a bit longer than the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- Both eat meat. The great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks; the northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
- The great horned owl lives in forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America. The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The great horned owl: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The northern goshawk: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🦉 Great horned owl
- Its wings make almost no sound.
- It coughs up a pellet of fur and bones after a meal.
- It often nests in an old nest that a hawk or crow built.
🦅 Northern goshawk
- A northern goshawk lives in forests in North America and Eurasia.
- Some move to warmer places in winter.
- Females are a little bigger than males.
Questions kids ask about Great horned owl and Northern goshawk
Which is bigger, great horned owl or northern goshawk?
The great horned owl and the northern goshawk are about the same size: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, great horned owl or northern goshawk?
The great horned owl weighs about one and a half times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the northern goshawk.
Which lives longer, great horned owl or northern goshawk?
The great horned owl lives a bit longer than the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the northern goshawk.
What do great horned owl and northern goshawk eat?
Both eat meat. The great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks; the northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
Where do great horned owl and northern goshawk live?
The great horned owl lives in forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America. The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do great horned owls eat northern goshawks?
The great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks. Northern goshawks are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do northern goshawks eat great horned owls?
The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. Great horned owls are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, great horned owl or northern goshawk?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/great-horned-owl-vs-northern-goshawk
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Bryce Canyon, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Accipiter gentilis (northern goshawk), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, Golden Spike, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.