Likely Barred Owl (also Northern Barred Owl)

This is a soft, barred owl feather, most consistent with Barred Owl. Adults are large, round-headed owls with brown-and-white horizontal barring, dark eyes, a pale facial disk, and the familiar “Who cooks for you?” call.

Warm buff to tawny brown with dark transverse barring and a conspicuous dark terminal band; pale rachis. Pattern is characteristic of barred-owl-type plumage

Pennaceous upper vane with notably loose, plumulaceous barbs at the base; no strongly diagnostic comb-like leading edge visible

Straight, pale central shaft; dense horizontal bands become more pronounced toward the distal half, while basal barbs are fluffy and pale

Soft, matte, and somewhat velvety, typical of owl plumage; the feather appears flexible rather than rigid

Probably tail, based on the broad, symmetrical vane and rounded outline

Rounded feather tip, buff-brown ground color, repeated dark cross-bands, pale shaft, and fluffy basal vane strongly suggest a Strix owl, especially Barred Owl.

Mature deciduous and mixed forests, swamps, wooded ravines, and forested suburbs, usually near large trees and water

Eastern and central North America, extending into the Pacific Northwest; largely resident, with limited dispersal

An important forest mesopredator that helps regulate rodents and other small vertebrates. Barred Owls indicate mature woodland habitat, though their expansion westward can threaten Spotted Owls through competition and hybridization.

Great Horned Owl feathers are usually more strongly mottled and less evenly barred; Long-eared Owl feathers are narrower and more heavily patterned. Tawny Frogmouth and other barred owls may resemble it outside North America.

Barred Owls are highly vocal and hunt rodents, amphibians, reptiles, and birds, often from low perches. Their exceptionally soft feather edges enable nearly silent flight.

Owl feathers have cultural significance in many Indigenous traditions, but possession of wild owl feathers in the United States is generally restricted under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; they should not be collected or traded without authorization.

Compare several feathers from the same bird, especially tail and wing feathers, and photograph them beside a ruler. Location is important; found feathers should be left in place unless legally permitted to retain them.

Appears generally intact and naturally molted, with slight basal fraying; no obvious fault bars, oiling, or parasite damage. Condition: Good.