Great Horned Owl
In the exclusive look inside his new book, Keith presents some highlights of his owl carving.
Keith Mueller has been a professional bird carver for more than 40 years. He is a seven- time World Champion and has been named Living Legend by the Ward Museum and a Living Legend Folk Artist by the state of Connecticut Endowment for the Arts. The author of several books, and a carving and art instructor, Keith lives in Killingworth, Connecticut. He has written several articles on color theory, composition, and design for Wildfowl Carving Magazine.
By weight, the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) is the second largest owl (behind the snowy owl) in North and Central America. The great gray owl is taller, but weighs only half as much. In the scientific name, Bubo means “large hooting and horned” and virginianus refers to the area where the species was first recognized. There are 10 subspecies, ranging from the North American subarctic to the upper southern reaches of Central America and a few areas in South America. The main differences among them are size and plumage.