Post 8: Northern Spotted Owl
Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina)
This owl has been on the endangered species list of Washington State since 1988 and has been on the threatened species list federally since 1990.
It's population has been declining since 1985 when data collection Spotted Owls first began. The rate of decline is increasing as time goes on, over all of the regions the owl inhabits. Spotted Owls can be found from southern British Columbia, all they way down to Mexico. They tend to live in well established old growth coniferous forests in that range.
The Spotted Owl mating season runs from February to March, and the gestation period is about 1 - 2 months. The females will lay 2 or 3 eggs and will incubate them for a month. They are fed by the male owl who hunts and brings food back to the nest, and the babies develop their feathers for flight in about 1 month after hatching.
Spotted Owls have the largest expansion of habitat in Washington than any other state, most likely because of the wide range of structurally complex forests.
Habitat loss is one of their main threats, but recently its been observed that Barred Owls (Strix varia) (look very similar but larger) have been encroaching on Spotted Owl territory and there is competition between the two species for resources. Forest fires have taken away a lot of their habitats, and as the earth warms up and species composition changes in Washington, it could definitely affect Spotted Owls. What makes this species so vulnerable is that they are specialists when it comes to habitat, instead of generalists like the Barred Owl. In 2008 a federal recovery plan began and was revised in 2011. There are other various groups working to help Spotted Owls, including the Dry Forest Working Group to monitor fire risk in the dry regions of their habitat. I picked this owl because i've always been intrigued by them, mostly because of how elusive they are. I hadn't done any research about the Spotted Owl before, so I enjoyed learning more about them. I was surprised to learn that they live 10 years in the wild! I didn't think owls lived that long. In captivity they can live 15-20 years!
Works Cited
“Endangered Species.” Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in Washington: 2012 Annual Report, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/endangered/species/northern_spotted_owl.pdf.
“Basic Facts About Northern Spotted Owls.” Defenders of Wildlife, 19 Sept. 2016, www.defenders.org/northern-spotted-owl/basic-facts.
“Spotted Owl.” , Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University , www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spotted_Owl/id.
“Northern Spotted Owl Populations in Rapid Decline, New Study Reports.” American Bird Conservancy, American Bird Conservancy , abcbirds.org/article/northern-spotted-owl-populations-in-rapid-decline-new-study-reports/.
This owl has been on the endangered species list of Washington State since 1988 and has been on the threatened species list federally since 1990.
It's population has been declining since 1985 when data collection Spotted Owls first began. The rate of decline is increasing as time goes on, over all of the regions the owl inhabits. Spotted Owls can be found from southern British Columbia, all they way down to Mexico. They tend to live in well established old growth coniferous forests in that range.
The Spotted Owl mating season runs from February to March, and the gestation period is about 1 - 2 months. The females will lay 2 or 3 eggs and will incubate them for a month. They are fed by the male owl who hunts and brings food back to the nest, and the babies develop their feathers for flight in about 1 month after hatching.
Spotted Owls have the largest expansion of habitat in Washington than any other state, most likely because of the wide range of structurally complex forests.
Habitat loss is one of their main threats, but recently its been observed that Barred Owls (Strix varia) (look very similar but larger) have been encroaching on Spotted Owl territory and there is competition between the two species for resources. Forest fires have taken away a lot of their habitats, and as the earth warms up and species composition changes in Washington, it could definitely affect Spotted Owls. What makes this species so vulnerable is that they are specialists when it comes to habitat, instead of generalists like the Barred Owl. In 2008 a federal recovery plan began and was revised in 2011. There are other various groups working to help Spotted Owls, including the Dry Forest Working Group to monitor fire risk in the dry regions of their habitat. I picked this owl because i've always been intrigued by them, mostly because of how elusive they are. I hadn't done any research about the Spotted Owl before, so I enjoyed learning more about them. I was surprised to learn that they live 10 years in the wild! I didn't think owls lived that long. In captivity they can live 15-20 years!
Works Cited
“Endangered Species.” Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in Washington: 2012 Annual Report, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/endangered/species/northern_spotted_owl.pdf.
“Basic Facts About Northern Spotted Owls.” Defenders of Wildlife, 19 Sept. 2016, www.defenders.org/northern-spotted-owl/basic-facts.
“Spotted Owl.” , Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University , www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spotted_Owl/id.
“Northern Spotted Owl Populations in Rapid Decline, New Study Reports.” American Bird Conservancy, American Bird Conservancy , abcbirds.org/article/northern-spotted-owl-populations-in-rapid-decline-new-study-reports/.
Having been lightly attacked by an owl once while hiking, I can attest that they can get aggressive. It was in September, so my theory that it was protecting young might not be correct. I'm not sure what type of owl it was as once I felt the talons I started moving much faster to get out of the woods. We hiked that area again a few weeks later and they had put up an "Aggressive Owl" sign, so I believe I wasn't the only one targeted.
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