HORNED OWL, a name applied to an owl (q.v.) with tufts of feathers on the head simulating horns, and especially to the European eagle owl (Bubo bubo), and the American great horned owl (B. virginianus). Of the latter, several subspecies are recog nized: the western horned owl (B.v. pallescens), the paler Arctic horned owl (B. v. arcticus), the dusky horned owl (B. v. saturatus) and the smaller Pacific horned owl (B. v. pacificus).