The Great Horned Owl is considered to be the winged tiger of the North and South American forests who is a skilled hunter with the ability to take prey larger than itself. It has a thick barrel-shaped body, broad wings, and a name derived from having large protruding ear like feather tufts on top of its head. This raptor is large, strong, and capable of silent flight when active at night. Both its deep yellow-eyed stare and hooting voice create an air of mystery.

An old Yellow Birch Tree is the setting for this painting of the Great Horned Owl in which both their form and shape are perfectly reflected in each other. The tree with its two large vertical branches on the left and two small offsetting ones on the right are shaped like horns and echo those found on the head of the owl. The flaked textures that form the bark coverings in the tree compliment those of the layered lifted feathers of the owl.