🦉 Great horned owl vs Red fox 🦊
The red fox is about twice as long as the great horned owl. The red fox weighs about 3 times as much as the great horned owl.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦉 Great horned owl | 🦊 Red fox |
|---|---|---|
| Size The red fox is about twice as long as the great horned owl. | 18 to 25 in46 to 63 cm1 | 3.6 ft1.1 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The red fox weighs about 3 times as much as the great horned owl. | 2.2 to 3.8 lb998 g to 1.7 kg3 | 9 to 11 lb4.1 to 5 kg4 |
| Lives The great horned owl usually lives about 4 times as long as the red fox. | 13 to 15 years13 to 15 years3 | 3 to 4 years3 to 4 years5 |
| Eats The great horned owl eats meat; the red fox eats plants and animals. | mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks | mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America | most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks |
Which one? Great horned owl or red fox
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the great horned owl or the red fox 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 Red fox
- The great horned owl: Its "horns" are just feathers, and it can turn its head far around.
- The red fox: A red fox can hear a mouse squeaking under deep snow.
- They are different kinds of animal. The great horned owl is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs; the red fox is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The red fox is about twice as long as the great horned owl: 2 against 1.
- The red fox weighs about 3 times as much as the great horned owl. That is 3 for the great horned owl and 4 for the red fox.
- The great horned owl usually lives about 4 times as long as the red fox. Usual lifespans: 3 for the great horned owl and 5 for the red fox.
- The great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks. The red fox eats mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries.
- The great horned owl lives in forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America. The red fox lives in most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The great horned owl: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 6
- The red fox: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 7
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.
🦊 Red fox
- A red fox has pupils shaped like slits, like a cat's.
- Red fox kits are born with brownish-gray fur, and the red coat comes later.
- Red foxes live in cities, forests, farms and even deserts.
Questions kids ask about Great horned owl and Red fox
Which is bigger, great horned owl or red fox?
The red fox is about twice as long as the great horned owl: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, great horned owl or red fox?
The red fox weighs about 3 times as much as the great horned owl. That is 3 for the great horned owl and 4 for the red fox.
Which lives longer, great horned owl or red fox?
The great horned owl usually lives about 4 times as long as the red fox. Usual lifespans: 3 for the great horned owl and 5 for the red fox.
What do great horned owl and red fox eat?
The great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks. The red fox eats mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries.
Where do great horned owl and red fox live?
The great horned owl lives in forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America. The red fox lives in most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do great horned owls eat red foxes?
The great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks. Red foxes are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the red fox is about twice as long as the great horned owl.
Who would win, great horned owl or red fox?
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-red-fox
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Bryce Canyon, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Golden Spike, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service (The Clever Red Fox), checked 30 October 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.