Not Listed; Proposed Endangered (Southern/Central population) and Proposed Threatened (Sierra Nevada population)

(biologicaldiversity.org)

Proposal to be listed under Endangered Species Act

(biologicaldiversity.org)

Habitat loss from logging practices and disturbances such as increased drought, extreme wildfires, and diseases from climate change are the most prominent threats (biologicaldiversity.org).

They are located throughout the Sierra Nevada Mountain range in California and Nevada, in coastal and southern California in the Transverse, Peninsular, and Coastal Mountain ranges, and in Sierra San Pedro Martir in Baja California Norte, Mexico (fws.gov).

Spotted Owl Survey Protocol (fws.gov)

Since the California spotted owl is not listed, it does not fall under the ESA’s incidental take permit for endangered and threatened species.

These owls inhabit older forests that contain structurally sound trees for nesting, foraging, and roosting. In the Sierra Nevada range, the owls primarily occur in mid-elevation mixed-evergreen forests that contain various pines, conifers, and firs. On the central coast and southern parts of California, the owls are found in hardwood forests, redwood forests, as well as live oak and big cone fir forests. They primarily hunt small mammals such as northern flying squirrels or woodrats. Their nests are traditionally made in high canopy parts of a forest, large trees, and downed trees. For reproduction, breeding starts in mid-February. These owls form monogamous pairs and defend their nesting site. The females lay 2 eggs on average, while the male provides the food. California spotted owls do not usually lay eggs every year, as this is dependent on weather conditions. Their average lifespan ranges from 10-15 years (fws.gov).

While there are current conservation strategies such as preserving their preferred nesting trees, more research on the effectiveness of these strategies should be done in the future to monitor their movement to potentially different trees as a result of the logging.

Conservation Strategy for the California Spotted Owl in the Sierra Nevada (usda.gov)

The California spotted owl is medium sized with a brown body and white spots on its head and chest. The tail has a brown and white barred pattern. They have large dark brown eyes and a yellow beak, while the face is surrounded by large facial disks. The California spotted owl’s body length ranges from 18.3-19.0 inches; however, females are generally slightly larger than males (fws.gov). California spotted owls can look similar to barred owls depending on the distance a spectator is viewing them from; however, barred owls have streaked bellies while the California spotted owl has a spotted belly (allaboutbirds.org)

California Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (fws.gov)

California Spotted Owl | Center for Biological Diversity (biologicaldiversity.org)

California Spotted Owl | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ECOS (ecos.fws.gov)

Spotted Owl Similar Species Comparison | Cornell Lab (allaboutbirds.org)