Great Horned Owl (Hoot Owl, Tiger Owl)

The Great Horned Owl is a powerful and adaptable nocturnal apex predator known for its prominent ear tufts, piercing yellow eyes, and deep hooting call. It possesses exceptional hearing and silent flight capabilities.

Uniform pale whitish-gray to off-white coloration throughout, characteristic of the insulating underplumage of the species

Plumulaceous (loose and fluffy) with long, flexible barbs lacking the rigid hooklets found in pennaceous flight feathers, creating a soft, sound-dampening structure

Extremely soft, silky, and downy to the touch with a matte finish and no oiliness

Pure soft white-to-gray down structure with fine, flexible barbs characteristic of owl thermal insulation

Incredibly adaptable, found in deciduous and evergreen forests, deserts, swamps, tundra, and urban areas

Widespread throughout North America, extending south through Central America down to South America

Acts as a top nocturnal predator, regulating populations of rodents, rabbits, and other small to medium-sized mammals

Other large owl species such as the Snowy Owl or Barred Owl, though down feathers are generally difficult to separate to species without context

Great Horned Owls can exert a crushing foot pressure of over 300 psi, roughly equivalent to the bite force of an adult human

Good condition, intact barbs with minor natural weathering appropriate for a shed down feather found on the ground