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

A magnificent large raptor with prominent ear tufts and a white throat patch. The feather reflects the bird's stealthy nature, designed for silent ambush predation. Adults have a wingspan of up to 57 inches and weigh about 3-4 pounds.

Mottled pattern featuring alternating bold chocolate-brown bars and creamy buff/tan backgrounds. Subtle greyish-white vermiculation is interspersed between the darker bands to provide camouflage against tree bark.

Pennaceous and soft with a specialized 'fimbriate' or comb-like fringe on the leading edge. The surface is covered in a velvety pile (muffling down) that deadens sound by smoothing airflow.

Extremely soft and silky to the touch with a matte finish. Lacks the stiff, plastic-like 'zipping' sound of hawk feathers due to the lack of oil and the presence of the velvet-like pile.

Leading edge fringe (fimbriae), velvety dorsal surface texture, and distinct broad brown-and-buff horizontal banding pattern.

Highly adaptable: found in deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, deserts, subarctic tundra, agricultural areas, and even urban parks or suburban woodlots.

Year-round resident throughout most of North America—from the tree line in the Arctic south to Central America and parts of South America.

Apex predator. They control populations of rodents, rabbits, and even other birds of prey. Their presence indicates a healthy, diverse ecosystem with sufficient prey density.

Great Gray Owl (lacks the warm buff tones, more uniform grey/white), Long-eared Owl (much smaller, narrower bands), and Barred Owl (shorter, more rounded, different bar patterns).

Great Horned Owls are one of the few predators that regularly hunt skunks because they have a very poor sense of smell. They have a grip strength of up to 500 PSI, comparable to a German Shepherd's bite.

Good to Fair. There is some mechanical separation of the barbs (splits) along the trailing edge, suggesting this was likely a molted feather rather than one lost to predation.