Owl vs Hawk
Verdict: Check the face and the hour. Owls have forward-set eyes in a round or heart-shaped facial disk and mostly hunt at night, while hawks soar or perch in daylight over open country.
Both are large, hook-billed predators, and a bird on a branch at dusk can be hard to call. The comparison here uses two common US examples, the great horned owl and the red-tailed hawk, because both are widespread and similar in length, about 18 to 25 inches.
Several clues beat size. Owls have stocky bodies, huge heads, and soft feathers that make their flight nearly silent, while hawks have broad wings used for soaring. Time of day, perch, and flight style often tell you more than plumage. Look first at the face, the time of day, and how the bird flies.
Owl vs Hawk side by side
| Trait | Owl | Hawk |
|---|---|---|
| Eyes and face | Eyes set forward like a human's, in a round or heart-shaped facial disk | No facial disk or ear tufts on a red-tailed hawk |
| Head and body | Huge head, stocky body, soft feathers | Sleeker build with broad wings |
| Typical activity | Mostly nocturnal, though some species hunt by day | Seen in daylight hunting open country |
| Flight | Nearly silent, deep stiff wingbeats of rounded wings | Soars in wide circles on broad rounded wings |
| Tail | Short | Short and wide, cinnamon-red above on adult red-tailed hawks |
| Where you see them | Woods, orchards, suburbs, parks, often at dusk | Perched on poles, fenceposts, or lone trees along fields |
| How it hunts | Perch and pounce or hover, guided by hearing | Slow controlled dive with legs outstretched, may hover in wind |
| Example length and wingspan | Great horned owl: 18 to 25 in, wingspan 40 to 57 in | Red-tailed hawk: 18 to 26 in, wingspan 45 to 52 in |
| Sound | Deep stuttering hoots, 4 to 5 in a series for great horned | Not a hooting bird |
Last verified October 2026. Typical values; individual animals, products and local prices vary.
When you are looking at which
Owl
- You hear hooting, or it is dusk or night and the bird is perched in a tree.
- The face is a flat round or heart-shaped disk with big forward-facing eyes.
- Flight is silent, with no flapping noise as it passes.
- The head looks huge and the tail short, and there may be ear tufts.
Hawk
- It is midday and the bird is soaring in wide circles over a field.
- It sits on a utility pole or fencepost at the edge of open country.
- You can see a cinnamon-red tail from above, or a streaked pale belly.
- It dives with legs stretched forward, or hovers facing into the wind.
How this works
The quiz counts how many cues point to an owl and how many to a hawk. Face shape and hooting are the strongest, while time of day and perch are supporting clues because they overlap. Answer only what you observed, and use I can't tell for the rest, since a skipped cue is better than a wrong one.
It compares owls in general with the red-tailed hawk and the great horned owl as reference birds. Falcons, kites, harriers, and daytime owls such as short-eared owls are not scored separately. A tie means your answers were split between the two birds, so check the face or listen for hooting before deciding.
Where these numbers come from
The figures and defaults on this page are based on:
- Cornell Lab All About Birds: Great Horned Owl, Great horned owl size, tufts, silent flight, hooting, and habitat. (checked October 2026)
- Cornell Lab All About Birds: Red-tailed Hawk, Red-tailed hawk size, soaring, perches, hunting dive, and tail color. (checked October 2026)
- Owl Research Institute: About Owls, Forward-set eyes, facial disk, soft feathers, silent flight, mostly nocturnal. (checked October 2026)
Field-identification guide. Both birds are protected in the US, so enjoy them from a distance.
Frequently asked questions
Can you tell an owl from a hawk by the time of day?
Mostly. Owls are mainly nocturnal, so a bird active at night is almost certainly an owl, while hawks hunt by day. A few owl species are active in daylight, so confirm with the face.
Why are owls silent in flight and hawks are not?
Owls have specialized feather structure that muffles flight noise, which helps them hunt by hearing. Hawks have broad wings built for soaring, not for silence.
Do owls and hawks look alike?
They are about the same length at the large end, around 18 to 25 inches for a great horned owl and a red-tailed hawk. The face, head, and flight style are the quickest ways to separate them.
What are the tufts on a great horned owl?
They are two prominent feathered tufts on the head, often called horns or ears. They are not ears, and not every owl has them.
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