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

This feather belongs to the 'Tiger of the Air,' a large, powerful owl with prominent ear tufts. The bird itself is mottled gray-brown with a white throat patch and piercing yellow eyes. Its wingspan reaches up to 5 feet.

Mottled brown, tan, and cream-white. It features irregular horizontal 'vermiculations' or wavy barring characteristic of Great Horned Owl plumage, designed for bark-mimicry camouflage.

Highly specialized. The proximal (lower) half is plumulaceous (downy) for insulation, while the distal (upper) half is pennaceous but with incredibly soft, fringed barbules (fimbriae) that break up air turbulence.

Extremely soft, velvety, and 'woolly' to the touch. It lacks the oily sheen of waterfowl and the stiff rigidity of a hawk feather, possessing a matte finish that absorbs light.

Distinguished by the 'comb-like' soft edges and wavy, mottled tan-on-brown barring. The excessive down at the base combined with the specific vermiculated pattern is diagnostic for Bubo virginianus.

Highly adaptable, found in deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, deserts, agricultural areas, and even suburban parks or urban cemeteries.

Year-round resident throughout North and South America, ranging from the Arctic treeline in the north to the tip of South America.

Apex nocturnal predator. They control populations of rodents, rabbits, and other birds. Their presence indicates a healthy, diverse ecosystem with adequate prey levels.

Long-eared Owl (smaller, different barring pattern) and Barred Owl (horizontal bars on breast, vertical on belly; softer gray tones).

Great Horned Owls can exert over 300 pounds per square inch of pressure with their talons and are one of the few predators that regularly hunt skunks, as they have a poor sense of smell.

Good condition. There is some minor separation of the barbs (splits) near the mid-vane, likely from naturally occurring wear or the molting process.