Photo credit: U.S. Forest Service

Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) | ESA status: threatened

Mexican spotted owl

Mexican spotted owls are an indicator species for the health of the old-growth forests they depend on.

Mexican spotted owl facts

Mexican spotted owls, like most other owls, are primarily nocturnal and feed on small animals including rodents, birds, and arthropods. Mated pairs are territorial and defend their nesting site. They generally have small clutches (1-3 eggs) which hatch in early May, and not all birds nest every year.

What are the threats to the Mexican spotted owl?

Mexican spotted owls depend on old-growth forest; historically the greatest threat to their habitat and survival was timber harvest. Stand-replacing wildland fire poses a threat to them today.

What WildEarth Guardians is doing to preserve the Mexican spotted owl

Since our founding, WildEarth Guardians has fought U.S. Forest Service proposals to log the ancient forest habitat of the Mexican spotted owl. At one point, we halted logging on 21 million acres of national forests.

Wildlife Press: Mexican spotted owl

Press Releases

Canadian mining company stakes new claims on the edge of America’s first wilderness

Sep 19, 2022

Expansion threatens Mexican spotted owl, Gila trout, and multiple critical watersheds

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WildEarth Guardians protects and restores the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.

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