Hooting bird of prey

Latest answer — October 06, 2026

25 Across

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An owl perched on a branch in a dark setting.

Clue explained

Owls are birds of prey, and many species make a distinctive hooting call. “Hooting” describes the bird’s sound.

Clue type:
Definition

WaPo Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, October 06, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Signs of healing on scrapes and cuts
  2. 6Dedicated poems
  3. 10"Omg same"
  4. 14Ancient Aegean region
  5. 15Start of a Spanish cheer
  6. 16Phobia
  7. 17Like grapefruit juice
  8. 18Sinister
  9. 19Greek salad cheese
  10. 20Plan for ending a relationship
  11. 23Boathouse blade
  12. 24World's second-tallest bird
  13. 25Hooting bird of prey
  14. 28Have a meeting of the minds?
  15. 33Major fad
  16. 35Mil. mail drop
  17. 36Deg. for a CFO or a CEO
  18. 37Feathery cleaner
  19. 38"Can it!"
  20. 42Protected place for boats
  21. 43Pirate's cry
  22. 44Fib
  23. 45Swedish home furnishing stores
  24. 46One who's not a fast-food fan?
  25. 49Actor Beatty
  26. 50"Last Week Tonight" network
  27. 52Company abbr.
  28. 53Nonverbal communication, or what can be found at the starts of 20-, 28-, 38-, and 46-Across
  29. 59Pesky insect
  30. 62From the top
  31. 63Push
  32. 64Numerous
  33. 65__ Millions lottery
  34. 66Republic in the Himalayas
  35. 67Deep black
  36. 68Crafty website
  37. 69Diary passage

Down

  1. 1Location
  2. 2Gently persuade
  3. 3Years in old Rome
  4. 4Circus tent
  5. 5Opens up at a checkup
  6. 6Eggs __ easy
  7. 7Aria singer, maybe
  8. 8Paperless party announcements
  9. 9Capital of Oregon
  10. 10Questionable
  11. 11Golf peg
  12. 12Gym cushion
  13. 13Noteworthy period
  14. 21Vibration
  15. 22Clog, informally
  16. 25Betting unwisely, in poker slang
  17. 26Frankfurter
  18. 27More roomy
  19. 28Knock down violently, as a door
  20. 29Quick on the __
  21. 30Secured in a 42-Across
  22. 31__ Dhabi
  23. 32Hannah of "Splash"
  24. 34European viper
  25. 37Naturalist Charles with a theory of evolution
  26. 39Org. for tenpins players
  27. 40Mario Kart and Mario Party dinosaur
  28. 41Basketball Hall of Famer Ming
  29. 4614-line poem
  30. 47"Purring" car part
  31. 48Shrewdness
  32. 51So-so effort
  33. 53Mythical river of the underworld
  34. 54Bench supports
  35. 55Not home
  36. 56Date with a doc
  37. 57Clockwork part
  38. 58Shortstop De La Cruz who led the majors in stolen bases in 2024
  39. 59Bioengineering letters
  40. 60Brit's grandma
  41. 61"__ volunteers?"

The answer to “Hooting bird of prey” in the The Washington Post crossword is OWL — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on October 6, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 25-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Hooting bird of prey” answer

OWL (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is OWL.

What does OWL mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of OWL is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a nocturnal bird of prey with large eyes, a facial disc, a hooked beak, and typically a loud hooting call

When else has “Hooting bird of prey” appeared?

The Washington Post reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

October 6, 2026 (most recent) → OWL. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Hooting bird of prey”?

The answer is OWL, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on October 6, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Hooting bird of prey”?

3 letters: OWL.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Washington Post crossword on October 6, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 25-Across.

Can “Hooting bird of prey” have a different answer?

Yes — The Washington Post sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's WaPo Crossword answers?

The full grid for October 6, 2026 is on the WaPo Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

The Washington Post Crossword is published by The Washington Post; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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