Northern spotted owl numbers have continued to decline in North America’s Pacific Northwest, partly due to competition from barred owls considered invasive in the region. The spotted owl has been protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) since 1990. To help the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) recover, some conservationists advocate for culling barred owls (S. varia). Others argue culling is too expensive and ineffective. A new study set out to estimate the relative cost of a targeted barred owl removal program and assess whether it could meaningfully support the northern spotted owl’s recovery. Northern spotted owls are native to the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. Logging and competition from barred owls have contributed to their threatened listing under the ESA. The American Bird Conservancy estimates there are just 15,000 northern spotted owls left in the region. The medium-sized birds tend to mate for life, though they don’t necessarily breed every year. Barred owls are native to the eastern U.S. but changes in land use and the climate have created the right conditions for them to move westward into northern spotted owl habitats. Barred owls are larger and more territorial than spotted owls. They raise 2-3 chicks each year and have quickly outcompeted the native owls. In 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service introduced a barred owl management strategy that aimed to kill some 450,000 barred owls in spotted owl habitat. The plan was met with pushback from a coalition of animal welfare groups that said,…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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