Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

The Great Horned Owl is a powerful, heavily built nocturnal apex predator characterized by prominent ear tufts, large yellow eyes, and a deep booming hoot. It is one of the most adaptable owls on the continent, hunting a massive variety of prey from rodents to large mammals and birds.

Intricate mottled and barred pattern featuring warm buff, earthy browns, and dark charcoal blackish-brown crossbars on a pale background, providing exceptional cryptic camouflage

Pennaceous at the distal tip transitioning smoothly into a very loose, fluffy, plumulaceous base with a well-developed afterfeather; notable velvety texture to the barbs

Extremely soft, velvety, and matte in appearance with no gloss, featuring specialized frayed barbule fringes designed to muffle sound during flight

Distinctive warm buff and dark brown barred pattern combined with an exceptionally velvety texture and frayed barb edges designed for silent flight

Incredibly adaptable, found in deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, deserts, wetlands, agricultural areas, tundra edges, and even urban parks

Widespread throughout North America, Central America, and South America, ranging from subarctic forests down to the tropics

Acts as a top apex nocturnal predator helping to regulate populations of small mammals, rodents, and other vertebrate species

Barred Owl (Strix varia) and Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), distinguished by the coarser barring and warmer buff tones of the Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owls are fierce apex predators capable of taking prey much heavier than themselves, including skunks, porcupines, and other raptors

Fair to good condition, showing some slight fraying along the edges but overall maintaining its structural integrity and distinct coloration