Great Horned Owl (Northern Great Horned Owl)

This feather belongs to the 'Tiger of the Air.' The Great Horned Owl is a massive raptor with distinctive ear tufts and piercing yellow eyes. Its plumage is a complex camo of mottled browns and grays, but its underside features these soft, white-to-cream downy feathers that provide warmth during cold Washington nights.

Predominantly creamy white to buffy-white. There is no distinct banding visible on this specific specimen, which is common for the downy under-feathers of the belly or 'leggings' of an owl.

Highly specialized: the lower half is densely plumulaceous (downy) for insulation, while the upper portion is pennaceous but with extremely fine, velvet-like fringes that dampen sound.

Extremely soft, silky, and velvet-like. It lacks the oily sheen of waterfowl and the stiff rigidity of a hawk feather, designed instead for silent movement.

Velvet-like texture, presence of an extensive downy base, and a flexible, thin rachis. The lack of water-repellency and the extreme softness are diagnostic of Strigiformes.

Found in a wide variety of habitats including deciduous and evergreen forests, open hillsides (like Cashmere, WA), canyons, and even urban parks.

Resident throughout North and South America, from the subarctic to the tip of South America. They are non-migratory and defend territories year-round.

Apex nocturnal predator. They control populations of rodents, rabbits, and even other birds of prey, playing a vital role in the health of the hillside ecosystem.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) feathers are similarly soft but often more heart-shaped and starkly white. Snowy Owl feathers are much larger and usually have dark spotting even on most body feathers.

Great Horned Owls have a crushing power in their talons of up to 500 psi. They are one of the few predators that regularly hunt and eat skunks because they have a very poor sense of smell.

Good condition. The barbs are mostly intact, though the plumulaceous section shows slight matting typical of a naturally shed (molted) feather found in the field.

Found in Cashmere Washington on a hillside