text x_quick_Title2=Class: Aves ~Order: Strigiformes ~Family: Strigidae~(Strix occidentalis caurina)
text x_quick=Where In the World~` There are between 3,000 and 5,000 northern spotted owls, including about 2,000 breeding pairs.~` The owls live in old-growth and mixed-growth forests in the Pacific northwest, from southwestern British Columbia to near San Francisco Bay.~` No one really knows their historic range, as settlers began cutting the forests for timber before the bird was studied. Most scientists believe the birds were found in all the suitable habitats from southern British Columbia to northern California.~ ~Take a Look!~` Northern spotted owls are 16 to 18 inches tall.~` They weigh a bit over one pound (from 16 to 24 ounces), although females tend to be a few ounces heavier than males.~\
Spotted owls have round heads, very dark brown eyes, and brown and white plumage.~ ~All in the Family~` There are two close relatives to the northern spotted owl - they are the California spotted owl and the Mexican spotted owl.~ ~Just the Facts~` This gentle bird is solitary, and relies on the dense growth of the forests to provide a protective canopy of trees and an abundance of prey. ~` The spotted owl uses the same nest throughout its life. ~` Spotted owls eat small mammals, such as flying squirrels, red tree voles, dusky-footed wood rats, rabbits, and hares as well as birds, reptiles, and amphibians.~` Spotted owls don't breed very often. The female lays a clutch of two or three eggs every two to five years. Only about one in every five chicks lives to be a year old.
;Habitat
text x_hab= Northern spotted owls live in the Pacific northwest, in the old growth and mixed forests of the area. The phrase "old growth forest" means that the forests have never been logged before - they're the same forests that were standing when the first European settlers arrived in North America. Many of the forests are thousands of years old, with individual trees that can be several hundred years old. (Some of the older redwood trees might have been standing when the Declaration of Independence was signed!) Most of North America was covered by old growth forests originally - all but 10% of them have been cut down for timber to build all the homes and businesses that were needed as the United States grew. The last remaining 10% is in the Pacific northwest, and the northern spotted owls live in them. ~\
Often, these old growth and mixed growth forests are in mountain ranges. ("Mixed growth" is a combination of old growth and newer, younger trees.) Most of the northern spotted owls live in the Cascades mountain range in Oregon, and the Klamath Mountains which stretch from southwestern Oregon to northeastern California. They like the dense, old forests because the habitat has a tall canopy of trees that gives a lot of cool shade, plenty of places to roost and nest, and open space to fly and hunt beneath the canopy of leaves and branches. ~\
Nesting pairs of owls use the same nest for their adult lives. Each pair has a territory of land where no other spotted owls are allowed to live. They like plenty of room, too - in the Cascades mountains of Oregon, each pair needs about 3,000 acres of land to survive. And that example is one of the most neighbourly of spotted owl populations - in the Olympic Peninsula, each pair needs about 10,000 acres of land.
;Food
text x_eat= Northern spotted owls are good hunters. They swoop silently down on their dinner and pluck it from near darkness with their strong, grasping talons. There are lots of kinds of food for the owl to choose from - it eats small birds, reptiles, and amphibians, but it seems to prefer small mammals, like the flying squirrel, the red tree vole, and the dusky-footed wood rat. Other treats include bats, shrews, and moles, plus insects such as crickets, cockroaches, and beetles. ~\
Owls swallow their meals whole. Once in their stomach, they can digest just about anything. Anything that isn't digested, including bones and fur, is spat out in a firm, dry pellet. Experienced scientists can often find an owl's nest by looking for the pellets that lie on the forest floor below the roost.
;Habits and Characteristics
text x_life= Like many owls, the northern spotted owl is nocturnal, coming awake and aware after dusk. They're excellent hunters, and swoop down unexpectedly on their prey. Spotted owls have fantastic night vision - their eyes can capture light better than a human's can, and can see in the dark almost one hundred times better than you can. If you and a spotted owl were both in the forest at night, you might see just the silhouette of the trees against a starry sky, but the owl sees almost everything - the starlight through the trees is enough for those keen eyes to see trees, ground, and any animals scurrying about. ~\
Even in absolute blackness, owls have an advantage - their hearing is remarkable. Their dish-shaped faces act a bit like a radar dish, focusing sound. Even if the owl's enormous eyes can't see a little animal, the sharp ears can probably hear it moving around. ~\
A northern spotted owl may be a fierce hunter, but it is a loyal parent. They don't breed often - a female may wait as many as five years between clutches of eggs - and they only have two or three eggs. (Four eggs is very rare.) But the male hunts and brings food to the female while she incubates her clutch. She generally lays her eggs in March or early April, and incubates them for about a month. After they hatch, the male has an even tougher time, because he has to hunt for his mate and for his new nestlings. By May or early June, the nestlings are ready to leave the nest - but they don't go far. They stay near the nest and are fed by their parents for another few months until they're ready to go off on their own in the fall. The young owls must learn to hunt quickly. Most die of starvation once they're on their own, or are attacked by great horned owls.
;Threats
text x_threat= Northern spotted owls have become the centre of a lot of arguments lately. People who cut timber for a living say they need to cut down the old growth forests in order to keep local lumberjacks and mills in business. Environmentalists say that the northern spotted owl will die without the old growth forests. Both sides are partially right - and both are partially wrong. ~\
Timber companies know that the old growth woodlands are worth millions of pounds to them. Just one acre of Douglas fir trees was worth ú9,000 back in 1979 - today, it's worth even more than that. Those resources and that kind of money can keep a lot of Americans employed. Of course, there aren't that many acres of old growth forests left. It's estimated that even if the old growth forests were cut down, there would only be about five years worth of employment for the loggers and mill-workers - after that, they'd have to find new jobs anyway. ~\
The general estimate is that a pair of spotted owls needs between 1,400 and 4,500 acres of land. With a little simple math, you can see that the land one pair of owls needs is worth between 11 million and 36 million pounds - if all of that land had to be old growth forests. As it turns out, the northern spotted owl prefers old growth forests, but it can live in a mix of old growth and mature secondary growth forests. So both sides of the argument are right - workers deserve their jobs and the owls deserve their habitat. It's a tough battle to fight. ~\
Most of the remaining old growth forests are on publicly owned land - that means the government holds on to it for all the people of the nation. In the past, governments leased land to timber companies, who were allowed to come onto the land and cut down all the trees. Today, many people believe that the forest land held by the government should be conserved for the citizens of the country. That conservation would also help the spotted owls. ~\
Northern spotted owls are listed as endangered species, which means that they are protected by law. Lately, some courts have decid
