Reproduction
Like all other living creatures on this Planet the Great Horned Owl needs to reproduce. And like many other Animals, they have a unique way of doing it. There are two ways to reproduce: sexually (Between two separate organisms through meiosis) and asexual reproduction (One organism creating a genetic clone through mitosis) Like all other birds, the great horned owl uses sexual reproduction. Most owl species including the Great Horned Owl breed in spring. Mating usually happens by the male impressing the female by a special call, dancing and showing off there strong shoulders, and in most cases those two birds will be together for life. Most male birds do not have external sexual organs but the Great Horned Owl possesses testes that enlarge during the breeding season in order to produce sperm (male gamete). Females usually have one functional ovary that connects to the oviduct. Both sexes have cloacae that they simply touch together by getting very close together or by one of them mounting the other. The two Cloacae touch for a long enough period of time for the sperm to be transferred to the female. The sperm is then stored in the female for up to 100 days. The eggs (female gamete) will be individually fertilized then they will leave the ovary. Great Horned Owls are able to lay between 1 and 13 eggs. Incubation lasts for around 30 days. During incubation the female provides protection and the sufficient temperature that they require. The chick continues to develop inside of an embryo in the egg so it must be handled with absolute care and caution. Whilst in the incubation stage, the female is extremely protective of her eggs. In birds there is a ZW-sex system, males are ZZ while females are ZW. In humans there is a XY-sex system, where males are XY and females are XX. Great Horned Owls have 13 haploid chromosomes in their cells, this means that they have 26 chromosomes as oppose to humans who have 46.
Development
The hatching of the eggs last for a couple of days, and usually the smaller ones will die soon after from lack of food or even from being killed by their siblings. When they are first born, the chicks are blind and have a very thin layer of feathers. About 9-10 weeks after hatching they learn how to fly and soon after, they leave the nest. Great Horned Owls will reach sexual maturity about a year after hatching.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_anatomy http://www.owlpages.com/articles.php?section=owl+physiology&title=reproduction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_anatomy http://www.owlpages.com/articles.php?section=owl+physiology&title=reproduction