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
Monitoring reveals hundreds of livestock trespassing in Valles Caldera National Preserve
Near constant illegal presence of livestock in endangered species habitat threatens protected watersheds
Read more >