Spotted Owl

Spotted Owl exhibit agility and maneuverability in flight, though they are not the fastest birds. They adjust their vertical position within the forest canopy to regulate body temperature, indicative of their dependence on old-growth forests' complex structure. Mostly solitary, spotted Owl form enduring monogamous bonds and maintain the same home range year-round. Prior to egg-laying, pairs strengthen their bond through roosting and mutual preening. The female alone incubates eggs and later extends her absences for hunting, while males provide food. After 4-5 weeks, fledglings leave the nest but remain reliant on parents for several months, gaining independence by late summer and dispersing in fall.

The northern spotted owl has a nearly contiguous range from southwestern British Columbia south through western Washington and Oregon to Marin County, California. The California spotted owl's range overlaps this range in the southern Cascade Range, and extends south through the western Sierra Nevada to Tulare County, with discrete populations in mountainous areas of coastal and southern California from Monterey County to northern Baja California. The Mexican spotted owl occurs in disjunct populations in mountain ranges and canyons of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and extreme western Texas in the US, and in Sonora, Chihuahua, Nuevo León, and eastern Coahuila through the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico.

IUCN Red List status for the spotted owl is near threatened with a decreasing population trend. Many studies assessing the species' population trend have found populations to be in decline. Habitat loss due to timber harvesting is generally recognized as the main threat. One study reports that competition with the barred owl may also be a major contributor to the decline of spotted owls. Forest and spotted owl management documents often state that severe wildfire is a cause of recent declines in populations of Spotted Owls and that mixed‐severity fires (5–70% of burned area in high‐severity patches with >75% mortality of dominant vegetation) pose a primary threat to Spotted Owl population viability, but a systematic review and meta-analysis found fires created more benefits than costs for spotted owls. The northern spotted owl and Mexican spotted owl subspecies are listed as threatened in the United States under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The California spotted owl is not considered to be threatened nor endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). However, it is a species of special concern by the state of California and the United States Forest Service. The northern spotted owl was one of a few cases where the "God committee", a provision of the Endangered Species Act, has been invoked to decide whether or not to open up more federal forest for commercial logging. In a battle between two federal agencies, the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service, the committee ruled for the exemption of 1700 acres to the ESA, potentially allowing the extinction of the species. The legal battle went on at different levels, creating a complex case study in environmental law. All subspecies of the spotted owl are often the subject of disagreement between conservationists and loggers, cattle grazers, developers, and other organizations whose activities can affect forest conservation. In February 2008, a federal judge reinforced a USFWS decision to designate 8,600,000 acres (35,000 km) in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico as critical habitat for the owl. The decision had been challenged by the Arizona Cattle Growers' Association, but was upheld. By 2006, the northern spotted owl was reported to be in rapid decline in the northernmost part of its range, with a 7.2% annual decline across northern Washington and southwestern British Columbia. Fewer than 30 breeding pairs were thought to exist in Canada in 2006, and some experts have predicted the imminent extirpation of the species from Canada. A current experiment sanctioned by the USFWS is investigating the suitability of protecting the spotted owl by controlling its competitor, the barred owl. Work began in 2009 by removing populations of barred owls in designated areas. The studies found that in the absence of barred owls, the population of spotted owls did not decline and were able to bounce back.