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

These are warm, buff-colored contour feathers from the Great Horned Owl, a massive raptor with distinctive 'ear tufts' and golden eyes. The bird itself is a powerful predator with a wingspan up to 5 feet, known for its deep 'hoo-h'hoo-hoo' call.

Ochre to tawny-buff base color with bold, dark brown to blackish horizontal barring; the barring is irregular and transitions to a whitish wash near the edges

Hybrid pennaceous/plumulaceous; the base is highly downy (plumulaceous) for insulation, while the upper vane is soft with specialized velvet-like barbules to dampen sound

Extremely soft, silky, and matte; lacks the gloss of waterbirds to allow for silent flight and better insulation

Bold horizontal barring, tawny-orange base color, and a uniquely soft, fuzzy texture characteristic of owl silent-flight adaptations

Found in incredibly diverse habitats including deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, deserts, tundra edges, and urban parks

Extremely widespread; found throughout North America from the Arctic tree line south through Central and South America

Apex predator; controls populations of rodents, skunks, and even other birds of prey; highly adaptable to human-altered landscapes

Long-eared Owl feathers are smaller and more slender; Barred Owl feathers have similar barring but lack the rich tawny/orange tones

Great Horned Owls can apply up to 300 pounds per square inch of pressure with their talons and are one of the few animals that regularly prey on skunks

Fair to Good; shows some separation of the barbs (zipper effect) and standard wear at the tips, likely naturally molted