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

A large, powerful owl with prominent feather tufts ('horns') giving it a cat-like appearance. It has large yellow eyes, a dark bill, and heavily barred underparts.

Rich earth tones featuring alternating dark brown and buff/tan barring, typical melanin-based pigmentation providing exceptional camouflage against tree bark.

Pennaceous vane with specialized velvety, comb-like fringes on the leading edge barbs and soft, frayed tips on the trailing barbules to muffle sound during flight.

Matte, velvety, and exceptionally soft to the touch, lacking the glossy sheen of diurnal raptor feathers due to specialized microscopic barb structures that absorb sound.

Soft, velvety texture, comb-like leading edge barbs, and bold dark brown and buff horizontal barring.

Incredibly adaptable, found in deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, deserts, wetlands, prairies, tundra, and urban/suburban parks.

Widespread throughout the Americas, ranging from the subarctic regions of North America down through Central America to South America.

Apex nocturnal predator that helps regulate populations of rodents, lagomorphs, and medium-sized mammals.

Barred Owl (Strix varia) and Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), distinguishable by different barring patterns and lack of specialized velvety fringe.

Great Horned Owls are formidable apex predators capable of taking prey much larger than themselves, including skunks, domestic cats, and other raptors.

Good condition with intact barbs and minimal fraying, showing vibrant natural barring and a strong, unbroken rachis.