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Owls
The Spotted Owl
By Sarah Lane
Aug 19, 2006, 08:17 PST

The Spotted Owl


Strix occidentalis

There are three subspecies of Spotted Owls including the Northern, California, and the Mexican Spotted Owl. This large, nocturnal bird is about 16 inches in length and has a 42 inch wingspan. It weighs between one and one half pounds.

The Spotted Owl has a large rounded head, yellow-green bill, dark eyes, and a brown facial disk with a dark border. Its upper-parts are brown with white spots. This owl is closely related to and easily confused with the Barred Owl. The Spotted Owl is only slightly smaller.

These birds prefer age old woodlands which puts them in danger due to the logging and conservation issues in National Forests. Spotted Owls nest in broken tree tops, large cavities, and abandoned stick nests from other animals. They lay one to four eggs at a time and the young leave the nest at about 35 days old.

The Spotted Owl eats medium sized animals that live in trees such as flying squirrels and woodrats. They also like to eat gophers, rabbits, and hares. They sit patiently and wait for their prey and sometimes even catch an animal to save for later.

The Spotted Owl can be found in North America in the Rockies, western Washington, western Oregon, and southern California. Although they generally don’t migrate in the winter, they sometimes fly a bit more south when it gets cold.

Source:       U.S. Geological Survey, Ninepines Wildlife Research Center, The Owl Pages