Great Horned Owl (Hoot Owl, Tiger Owl)

The Great Horned Owl is a powerful, heavy-bodied apex predator with prominent ear tufts, bright yellow eyes, and a deep booming hoot. Known as the tiger of the sky, it is a ferocious nocturnal hunter capable of taking prey much larger than itself. Its plumage is a masterpiece of camouflage, blending seamlessly into tree bark.

Mottled earthy brown, buff, and cream coloration with dark brown irregular barring and chevron patterns, melanin-based pigmentation

Plumulaceous and velvet-like at the base transitioning into a soft, modified pennaceous structure; extremely soft barbules lacking rigid hooklets, providing the silent-flight adaptation typical of owls

Incredibly soft, downy, and velvety matte texture with no gloss, designed to absorb sound during flight

Velvety soft texture, lack of rigid hooklets, and distinctive dark brown and buff barred pattern characteristic of owl cryptic body plumage

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

Widespread throughout North America, Central America, and South America, ranging from the subarctic tree line down to Argentina

Apex nocturnal avian predator controlling populations of rodents, rabbits, skunks, and other small-to-medium mammals, serving as a top-down regulator in terrestrial ecosystems

Barred Owl (Strix varia) and Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), distinguished by the coarser, warmer buff and dark brown barring unique to the Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owls are one of the earliest nesting birds in North America, often laying eggs in the dead of winter in abandoned hawk or eagle nests. They have asymmetrical ears allowing for pinpoint sound triangulation in total darkness.

Good condition with minor wear at the base, clean barbs with no heavy staining or parasitic damage