Spotted Owl
Scientific Name: Strix occidentalis
Distribution: western North America from Washington south to California; some parts of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico
Habitat: below 2700 meters; coniferous and oak forests
Life Span: 15-25 years
Size: length 45 centimeters; wingspan 115 centimeters
Weight: 520-760 grams
Coloring: dark brown; white-spotted on head and neck; white-mottled on breast and abdomen
Eyes: large, round, dark-colored
Eggs: oval, white, slightly granulated
Diet: small mammals (flying squirrels, woodrats, mice, voles, pocket gophers, rabbits), small birds (smaller owls, jays, songbirds, woodpeckers), insects; rarely amphibians and reptiles
Predator(s): fishers, Northern goshawks, crows eat eggs and young; great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, golden eagles eat young and adults
Behavior: nocturnal, nonmigratory; sit-and-wait predators
Reproduction: breeding season from spring to fall; reuses abandoned platform- and tree cavity-style nests made by raptors and squirrels; some return to same nesting site every year; clutch size average 2 eggs; incubation time 30 days
Conservation Status: near threatened (IUCN 3.1); population decreasing
Major Threats: degradation and fragmentation of habitat due to logging, fire and drought caused by climate change, and Sudden Oak Death Syndrome; competition and displacement by Barred Owls; West Nile virus and avian malaria
Conservation Action(s): listed as threatened under U.S. Endangered Species Act; Northwest Forest Plan provides protection and reduces rate of timber harvesting; captive breeding programs
Interesting Facts:
Distribution: western North America from Washington south to California; some parts of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico
Habitat: below 2700 meters; coniferous and oak forests
Life Span: 15-25 years
Size: length 45 centimeters; wingspan 115 centimeters
Weight: 520-760 grams
Coloring: dark brown; white-spotted on head and neck; white-mottled on breast and abdomen
Eyes: large, round, dark-colored
Eggs: oval, white, slightly granulated
Diet: small mammals (flying squirrels, woodrats, mice, voles, pocket gophers, rabbits), small birds (smaller owls, jays, songbirds, woodpeckers), insects; rarely amphibians and reptiles
Predator(s): fishers, Northern goshawks, crows eat eggs and young; great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, golden eagles eat young and adults
Behavior: nocturnal, nonmigratory; sit-and-wait predators
Reproduction: breeding season from spring to fall; reuses abandoned platform- and tree cavity-style nests made by raptors and squirrels; some return to same nesting site every year; clutch size average 2 eggs; incubation time 30 days
Conservation Status: near threatened (IUCN 3.1); population decreasing
Major Threats: degradation and fragmentation of habitat due to logging, fire and drought caused by climate change, and Sudden Oak Death Syndrome; competition and displacement by Barred Owls; West Nile virus and avian malaria
Conservation Action(s): listed as threatened under U.S. Endangered Species Act; Northwest Forest Plan provides protection and reduces rate of timber harvesting; captive breeding programs
Interesting Facts:
- The spotted owl is a bioindicator species, meaning that its health is an indication of its environment's health.
- A spotted owl may not breed every year. Some may not breed for five or six years in a row.
- The spotted owl is one of the few owl species with dark-colored eyes. Most owls have yellow to red-orange eyes.