Spotted Owl

Overview
Spotted Owl: Medium owl, white-spotted, brown upperparts, finely barred white underparts. Head lacks ear tufts. Eyes are brown. The wings are brown with white spots. A secretive bird, it inhabits dense old growth forests. An individual needs 3000 acres to survive due to scarcity of its food source.

Range and Habitat
Spotted Owl: Found from southwestern British Columbia south through the mountains of Washington, Oregon, and California, the western slopes of Sierra Nevada, and the southern Rockies; also occurs in Utah and central Colorado through Arizona's mountain ranges, New Mexico, western Texas, and central Mexico. Preferred habitats are dense, dark, old growth or mixed coniferous forests.

The Spotted Owl is a resident species of owl found in western North America. This species will build nests in tree holes, crevices between rocks, or abandoned nests from other birds. The Spotted Owl sits on tree perches and swoops to the forest floor to dine on small rodents, frogs or small invertebrates and mammals. Its preferred habitat includes dense mixed woodlands, but usually lives on the edges of the forest to reach nearby fresh water supplies easily. This species is subject to deterioration due to destruction of its habitat throughout British Columbia and Washington in the United States. The conservation rating of this bird is Near Threatened.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Spotted Owl was reported in 1860 by Hungarian immigrant John Xántus de Vesey. Other names include Canyon Owl, Brown-eyed Owl, Wood Owl, Pootie Owl and Hoot Owl. It may be the most publicized of all endangered species in North America. Because of its dependence on large tracts of old-growth coniferous forests, management for this owl has caused tremendous turmoil in the forest harvesting industry, resulting in a dilemma of “jobs versus owls.” Unlike most owls, they may not defend their eggs and young from predators, instead watching from nearby as the nest is destroyed. A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a "bazaar", "glaring", "parliament", "stooping", and "wisdom" of owls.