Spotted owl

This article is about the bird indigenous to North America. For the bird indigenous to Asia, see Spotted owlet.

Spotted owl
Northern subspecies
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Strix
Species:
S. occidentalis
Binomial name
Strix occidentalis
(Xántus, J, 1860)
Subspecies

3, see text

The spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) is a species of true owl. It is a resident species of old-growth forests in western North America, where it nests in tree hollows, old bird of prey nests, or rock crevices. Nests can be between 12 and 60 metres (39 and 197 ft) high and usually contain two eggs (though some contain as many as four). It is a nocturnal owl which feeds on small mammals and birds. Three subspecies are recognized, ranging in distribution from British Columbia to Mexico. The spotted owl is under pressure from habitat destruction throughout its range, and is currently classified as a near-threatened species.[3][4]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Strix occidentalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22689089A180937862. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22689089A180937862.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ Gutiérrez, R. J.; A. B. Franklin & W. S. Lahaye (1995). "Spotted Owl". bna.birds.cornell.edu. Birds of North America Online. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference usf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).