🦉 Great horned owl vs Secretarybird 🦅
The secretarybird is about twice as tall as the great horned owl. The secretarybird weighs about twice as much as the great horned owl.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦉 Great horned owl | 🦅 Secretarybird |
|---|---|---|
| Size The secretarybird is about twice as tall as the great horned owl. | 18 to 25 in46 to 63 cm1 | 35 in to 3.9 ft90 cm to 1.2 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The secretarybird weighs about twice as much as the great horned owl. | 2.2 to 3.8 lb998 g to 1.7 kg3 | 5.1 to 9.4 lb2.3 to 4.3 kg2 |
| Lives The secretarybird lives a bit longer than the great horned owl. | 13 to 15 years13 to 15 years3 | 19 years19 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks | insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America | open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara |
Which one? Great horned owl or secretarybird
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the great horned owl or the secretarybird 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 Secretarybird
- The great horned owl: Its "horns" are just feathers, and it can turn its head far around.
- The secretarybird: A tall African bird of prey that walks a long way each day.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The secretarybird is about twice as tall as the great horned owl: 2 against 1.
- The secretarybird weighs about twice as much as the great horned owl. That is 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the secretarybird.
- The secretarybird lives a bit longer than the great horned owl. Usual lifespans: 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the secretarybird.
- Both eat meat. The great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks; the secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes.
- The great horned owl lives in forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America. The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The great horned owl: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The secretarybird: in danger (Endangered 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.
🦅 Secretarybird
- A secretarybird walks a long way on foot each day.
- It has very long legs for a bird of prey.
- It can fly well, too.
Questions kids ask about Great horned owl and Secretarybird
Which is bigger, great horned owl or secretarybird?
The secretarybird is about twice as tall as the great horned owl: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, great horned owl or secretarybird?
The secretarybird weighs about twice as much as the great horned owl. That is 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the secretarybird.
Which lives longer, great horned owl or secretarybird?
The secretarybird lives a bit longer than the great horned owl. Usual lifespans: 3 for the great horned owl and 2 for the secretarybird.
What do great horned owl and secretarybird eat?
Both eat meat. The great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks; the secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes.
Where do great horned owl and secretarybird live?
The great horned owl lives in forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America. The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, great horned owl or secretarybird?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. 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-secretarybird
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Bryce Canyon, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Sagittarius serpentarius (secretarybird), 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.