Biologists Urge Action to Protect California Spotted Owl
(CN) – Biologists warn in a study released Tuesday that northern spotted owls, long endangered by logging operations in the Pacific Northwest, face another threat: competition from the invasive barred owl species.
The research, published in the journal The Condor: Ornithological Applications, found that the northern spotted owl’s habitat is rapidly being taken over by barred owls, a more aggressive bird that has pushed out the endangered species, taken over its hunting grounds and occasionally killed them.
The northern spotted owl’s number began to decline in the 1980s with the expansion of the logging industry. It wasn’t until 1990 when the species was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. A subsequent 1991 court order stopped logging in national forests where the species was found.
Today, only about 560 pairs can be found in Northern California, with 1,200 pairs in Oregon and 500 pairs in Washington state. In British Columbia, Canada, there are fewer than 100 pairs. Wildlife conservationists estimate the populations have declined 40 to 90% in the past four decades due to loss old-growth habitat.
https://www.courthousenews.com/biologists-urge-action-to-protect-california-spotted-owl/
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