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

This feather belongs to a large, powerful raptor with prominent ear tufts and piercing yellow eyes. The Great Horned Owl is the 'quintessential' owl, known for its deep, rhythmic hooting. Their plumage is designed for camouflage against tree bark and silent flight.

Mottled ochre, tawny, and dark brown. It features bold, irregular transverse banding (barring) and fine, salt-and-pepper 'vermiculation' or speckling near the tip and edges.

Densely pennaceous at the tip with a velvety pile (frazil) on the dorsal surface; the proximal end shows long, plumulaceous (downy) barbs for insulation and sound dampening.

Silky and soft to the touch; the surface has a unique 'velvety' coating that reduces friction and eliminates the whistling sound usually caused by air passing over wings.

Bold horizontal brown bars, fine speckled vermiculation, and a distinctive velvety texture on the vane surface to enable silent flight.

Extremely versatile; found in deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, deserts, subalpine fields, and urban parks with mature trees.

Year-round resident across most of North America, from the subarctic tree line to Central and South America. They do not migrate.

Top-tier nocturnal predator. They control populations of rodents, rabbits, and even other birds of prey. They are vital indicators of ecosystem health.

Great Gray Owl (grayer, lacks tawny tones), Barred Owl (cleaner white/brown barring, less vermiculation), and Long-eared Owl (much smaller, narrower feather).

Great Horned Owls have a crushing power in their talons of up to 500 psi. They are one of the few predators that regularly hunt and eat skunks because they have a poor sense of smell.

Fair to Good. The feather shows some mechanical wear at the tip and separation of the barbs ('zipped' open), suggesting it was molted naturally or handled.