The Silent Hunter, Great Gray Owl by Dean M. Chriss...The Great Gray Owl has also been called Phantom of the North and the Great Gray Ghost. The owl's scientific name is Strix nebulosa. The word "nebulosa" is derived from the Latin "nebulosus", meaning misty or foggy. It is the largest of the North American Owls, but not the most massive, and is more gray than other owls.