Facts about Spotted Owl

1. 07

   Mexican spotted owls possess larger territories than their northern relatives, requiring up to 4,000 acres per breeding pair in southwestern canyon forests.

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2. 06

   California spotted owls inhabit fragmented forest patches in the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges, occupying territories roughly 40 percent smaller than their northern subspecies counterparts.

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3. 05

   Nocturnal hunting allows spotted owls to catch small mammals like flying squirrels and wood rats in darkness using specialized facial disc feathers that channel sound to asymmetrically positioned ears.

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4. 04

   Spotted owls typically lay 1 to 3 eggs per breeding season, with incubation lasting approximately 30 days before chicks hatch.

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5. 03

   Barred owls aggressively prey on spotted owls in Pacific Northwest forests, with predation identified as a primary threat to the northern spotted owl's survival since the 1990s.

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6. 02

   Old-growth forests of at least 200 years old are essential habitat for spotted owls, which require large territories averaging 2,000 acres per breeding pair.

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7. 01

   The northern spotted owl population in the Pacific Northwest declined by approximately 40 percent between 1985 and 2013 despite federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

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