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

A large, thick-bodied owl with prominent ear tufts. The plumage is a camouflaging mix of mottled grays, browns, and tans. This specific feather reflects the bird's cryptic coloring used to blend into tree bark during the day.

Mottled greyish-brown base with a distinct buff-tan subterminal band and a darker brown terminal bar. The color is melanin-based with a matte finish typical of owl plumage.

Densely plumulaceous (downy) at the base for insulation, transitioning to a pennaceous structure at the tip. The distal barbs are exceptionally soft with fine velvety 'fiefs' to reduce sound during movement.

Extremely soft and silky. It lacks the oily sheen of waterfowl; instead, it has a 'velvety' surface characteristic of owls which assists in silent flight.

Soft velvety texture, lack of a stiff leading edge, buffy-orange coloration mixed with dark brown barring, and a very fluffy distal base.

Extremely adaptable: found in deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, deserts, subalpine fields, and urban parks.

Resident throughout North America from the Arctic tree line south to Central and parts of South America.

Apex predator; controls populations of rodents, rabbits, and even other birds of prey. They are vital for maintaining the balance of local small mammal populations.

Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) feathers are smaller and more orange-toned; Barred Owl (Strix varia) feathers have more distinct, consistent horizontal barring and lack the 'tufted' appearance.

Great Horned Owls have a crushing power in their talons of up to 500 psi. They are one of the few animals that regularly prey on skunks because they have a very poor sense of smell.

Good condition; the distal barbs are intact. Some minor separation in the vane suggests it was a naturally molted feather rather than one lost during a struggle.