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

This is a soft contour feather from a Great Horned Owl, a powerful apex predator with a 3-to-5-foot wingspan. These owls are famous for their feather tufts or 'horns' and deep 'hoo-h'hoo-hoo' calls. The feather's intricate barring mimics tree bark to provide perfect concealment during roosting.

Mottled grayish-white base with distinct horizontal dark brown to blackish barring. The pattern shows fine vermiculation (worm-like markings) characteristic of Great Horned Owl camouflage.

Pennaceous at the distal tip with fine fimbriae; heavily plumulaceous (downy) at the base. Includes specialized velvet-like pile on the dorsal surface to dampen sound.

Extremely soft and silky to the touch. The surface has a 'velvety' feel, a specialized adaptation for silent flight and sound absorption.

Characteristic grayish-brown barring, fine vermiculation, and an exceptionally soft, fuzzy texture with a high density of basal down.

Extremely versatile; found in deciduous and coniferous forests, deserts, subarctic tundra, urban parks, and rocky canyons.

Resident throughout North and South America, from the northern tree line in Alaska and Canada to the southern tip of South America.

Apex predator that controls populations of rodents, skunks, and even other birds of prey. They are highly adaptable and occupy a wide variety of niches.

Barred Owl (Strix varia) feathers have more distinct, clean stripes without as much fine vermiculation; Long-eared Owl feathers are smaller and more orange-toned.

Great Horned Owls have a crushing power of 300-500 psi in their talons, roughly equivalent to the bite of a large dog, allowing them to take prey much larger than themselves.

Fair to Poor. The pennaceous part of the vane is fragmented and separated (zip-less), likely due to mechanical wear or handling after being molted.