Great Horned Owl (also known as Tiger Owl or Hoot Owl)

This feather belongs to one of the most powerful raptors in the Americas. The Great Horned Owl is a large, thick-bodied owl with prominent ear tufts. Its plumage is designed for camouflage and silent hunting, featuring complex barring and a soft, downy texture.

Mottled grayish-brown and buff with distinct dark brown horizontal banding (bars). The dorsal side is darker while the ventral side is paler. A characteristic dark subterminal band is visible near the tip.

Pennaceous throughout most of the vane with a velvety, plumulaceous base. The trailing edge features a soft fringe (fimbriae) to dampen sound.

Velvety and soft to the touch. The surface has a matte appearance due to specialized pennulum structures that break up airflow for silent flight.

Distinctive dark brown banding on a buff background, velvety 'owl-like' texture, and a soft trailing edge for silent flight.

Extremely adaptable found in deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, deserts, tundra edges, and urban parks.

Resident throughout North and South America, from the subarctic tree line in the north to the southern tip of South America.

Apex predator that controls populations of rodents, rabbits, and other birds. They are an essential indicator of ecosystem health.

Long-eared Owl (smaller, different banding density) and Barred Owl (shaper contrast in bars, lacks the same buffy-orange tones).

Great Horned Owls have a bite force of about 300 psi, similar to a large dog, and they are one of the few animals that regularly prey on skunks because they have a poor sense of smell.

Good condition with minor wear at the tip and some separation of the lower plumulaceous barbs. No significant fault bars or parasitic damage visible.