Great Horned Owl (also Tiger Owl or Hoot Owl)

A large, powerful owl with prominent ear tufts and piercing yellow eyes. This feather illustrates the owl's silent flight technology. The bird itself is a top-tier nocturnal predator capable of taking down prey larger than itself, including skunks and other raptors.

Alternating wide bands of dark chocolate brown and mottled grayish-tawny (off-white) cream; 'vermiculation' (fine wavy lines) occurs within the lighter bars

Pennaceous with a specialized plumulaceous (fluffy) upper surface; distinct 'fringe' on the leading edge to reduce noise during flight; densely packed barbs

Velvety and exceptionally soft to the touch; the dorsal surface has a fine 'pile' like a carpet to dampen sound; matte appearance with no iridescence

Broad dark banding, heavy mottling in light areas, velvety texture, and the presence of a 'silent' fringed margin on the leading vane edge

Highly adaptable; found in deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, deserts, subalpine habitats, and urban parklands

Resident throughout North and South America, from the northern tree line in Alaska and Canada down through Central America to southern South America

Apex predator; controls populations of rodents, lagomorphs (rabbits), and other birds; serves as an indicator species for ecosystem health

Long-eared Owl (smaller, different banding frequency), Barred Owl (more consistent horizontal bars, less mottling), and Snowy Owl (whiter, different patterning)

Great Horned Owls are the only bird that regularly eats skunks because they have a very poor sense of smell; they have the most diverse diet of any North American raptor

Fair to Good; significant feather wear and breakage at the tip (fraying); some separation of the barbs suggesting it was a molted feather found on the ground