Great Horned Owl (also Tiger Owl, Hoot Owl)

This is a robust wing feather from the Great Horned Owl, a powerful apex predator. The owl itself is a large, thick-bodied bird with prominent ear tufts (plumicorns) and piercing yellow eyes. Its plumage provides perfect camouflage against tree bark.

Tan/cream base with bold, dark brown horizontal barring; subtle mottling or 'salt and pepper' speckling within the lighter bands; white quill (calamus).

Pennaceous with a specialized velutinous (velvety) surface and plumulaceous (downy) base; features 'comb-like' serrations on the leading edge.

Extremely soft, silky, and matte; lacks the glossy oils of waterfowl to prioritize sound dampening over waterproofing.

Broad dark brown bands on a buff background, velvety texture, and the unique fringed edge that allows for silent flight.

Highly adaptable; found in deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, deserts, subalpine tundra, and suburban parks.

Resident throughout North and South America, from the Arctic tree line to the southern tip of South America.

Apex predator; controls populations of rodents, skunks, and even other birds of prey; indicates a healthy local ecosystem.

Barred Owl (Strix varia) feathers have more uniform, narrower barring; Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) feathers are much smaller.

Great Horned Owls have a clenching force in their talons of up to 500 psi—stronger than a human hand and comparable to much larger eagles.

Good condition; slight mechanical wear on the trailing edge but the barring remains sharp and the rachis is intact.