Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

The Great Horned Owl is a powerful, heavily built nocturnal predator with prominent tufts of feathers resembling horns, brilliant yellow eyes, and a deep booming hoot.

Stunning alternating dark brown/charcoal and white to buff barring across a grayish background, typical of cryptic owl plumage.

Pennaceous vane with specialized velvety, comb-like fringes on the leading edge and plumulaceous barbs near the base.

Exceptionally soft, velvety, and matte on the surface due to specialized micro-structure designed to absorb sound during flight.

Distinctive alternating dark and light barring, soft velvety texture, rounded tip, and pale robust rachis.

Inhabits a diverse range of habitats including deciduous and evergreen forests, deserts, wetlands, tundra, and urban areas.

Widespread throughout North America, Central America, and South America, ranging from the sub-Arctic tree line to the tropics.

Apex nocturnal raptor regulating populations of rodents, rabbits, skunks, and other small-to-medium mammals.

Barred Owl (Strix varia) and Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), distinguished by differing bar patterns and color tones.

Great Horned Owls can exert a crushing grip strength of over 300 pounds per square inch, rivaling that of a large dog's bite.

Good condition with minor wear along the lower barbules but generally intact vane structure.