Great Horned Owl (also Tiger Owl or Hoot Owl)

This is a soft body feather from a Great Horned Owl, a powerful predator with iconic ear tufts and a deep hoot. The feather reflects the owl's camouflaged plumage of mottled browns, tans, and whites.

Buffy-white base transitioning to light tan with 2-3 faint, horizontal grey-brown bars (vermiculation) across the distal half.

Highly plumulaceous (fluffy) at the base with a thin pennaceous section toward the tip; velvet-like surface for noise reduction.

Silky, soft, and matte. The surface has a 'fringed' texture to break up airflow and dampen sound.

Faint horizontal bars, extreme softness, and a lack of sound-producing stiffness distinguish this as an owl contour feather.

Extremely versatile; found in deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, deserts, agricultural areas, and urban parks like those in Santa Monica.

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

Apex nocturnal predator; controls populations of rodents, rabbits, and even other birds of prey.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) feathers are typically more golden/white with small dots rather than bands; Red-tailed Hawk feathers are much stiffer.

Great Horned Owls can apply up to 28 pounds of pressure with their talons and are known to prey on skunks because they have a poor sense of smell.

Good condition; slight fraying at the tip suggests it was naturally molted. No obvious parasites or fault bars.

Found in Santa Monica, California, on June 30, 2023.