The Spotted Owl has three genetically distinct subspecies with different statuses:

• northern Spotted Owl (S. o. caurina): Endangered in Canada and Threatened in U.S.A; found from British Columbia to northern and coastal California
• Californian Spotted Owl (S. o. occidentalis): Special Concern in California; found only in California, including the Cascade Ranges and southern coastal forests
• Mexican Spotted Owl (S. o. lucida): Threatened in U.S.A. and Mexico; found from southern Utah and Colorado to northwest Mexico.

Mysterious and enigmatic, a symbol of conservation in North America, albeit controversial (once despised by the logging industry), the Spotted Owl is a denizen of large expanses of forest, especially old growth, and generally intolerant of habitat fragmentation. As a species, it is considered globally Near-threatened with extinction; however, the northern Spotted Owl is arguably more at risk than the other two subspecies, having suffered significant loss of habitat and being outcompeted by its larger and more aggressive sister species, the Barred Owl, that colonised western North America from the east over the course of the 20th Century. The plight of the Spotted Owl is such that last-resort measures including captive breeding and release and lethal control of Barred Owls are being tested and applied in several jurisdictions.

 

Primary Habitats:

Breeding: Temperate western forests; Mexican highland forests
Wintering: Temperate western forests; Mexican highland forests

Major Threats:

Changing Forest Conditions, Climate Change

Conservation Status:

Population Loss Since 1970: 15-50%
Urgency/Half Life: N/A
Global Conservation Status: IUCN 2019-1 – Near Threatened
U.S. Conservation Status: Threatened*
Canadian Conservation Status: Endangered (SARA)*
Birds of Conservation Concern: USFWS – Bird of Conservation Concern

*Applies only to some subspecies; check out profile for more information

Conservation Responsibilities:

Region	Area Importance	Long-term Population Change	Half Life
Intermountain West Joint Venture	28%	***	***
Sonoran Joint Venture	20%	***	***
Central Valley Joint Venture	5%	***	***
Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture	13%	***	***
Rio Grande Joint Venture	10%	***	***

Conservation Opportunities:

Species Conservation Plans:

USFWS Revised Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina)

USFWS Mexican Spotted Owl Recovery Plan, First Revision (Strix occidentalis lucida)

Recovery Strategy for the Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) in British Columbia

COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Spotted Owl Strix occidentalis caurina Caurina subspecies, in Canada

Key Species References:

Peer Reviewed Papers:

Management Guide:

Birds of North America (BNA) Species Account

All About Birds