Who gives a hoot? Strix Occedentalis Lucida-- Candice Reif

Strix Occidentalis Lucida

Candice Reif

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The basics of the Mexican Spotted Owl

The Strix Occidentalis Lucida, or Mexican spotted Owl is currently listed under the endangered species act as a threatened species.  The current, and "final" recovery plan for this species was listed on December 18, 2012.

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The Mexican Spotted Owls are an “ashy-chestnut brown color with white and brown spots on their abdomen, back and head” (MSO fws species Profile)  As see in the above image, the young owls have a fluffy appearance.  Adult spotted owls have high survival rates, but the youth survival and reproductive rates are on the lower end of the spectrum.

For the most part, when a Mexican Spotted owl chooses a territory to hunt and live, it spends the rest of its life there.  Generally, if an empty territory is claimed, it is done so by a juvenile (MSO fws recovery plan)  The Mexican spotted owls tend to have a single for their entire lifespan.  After mating, the female owl can lay up to three eggs, two being the most common, and waits for them to hatch.  Their matting patterns are irregular and are not an annual occurrence.  The table B5 on page 220 of the recovery act, http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/MSO_Recovery_ Plan_First_Revision_Dec2012.pdf, shows the summary of estimates of reproductive output of spotted owls.  Like many other creatures, the environment has effects on the species activities. Weather extremes can cause injury to young owls, in addition to impacting the owls food source, determining the reproductive abilities for that creature.  

                                                          
Where they reside

The Mexican Spotted owl, while living in Mexico, also lives in parts of the United states, including New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and Utah.  They still live in these states, their numbers have just decreased and their ranges more sporadically inhabited.  Their preferred habitat involves mountain ranges and canyon lands.  Places that support appropriate amounts of prey and have forests with suitable trees for their nests.








                       
       
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Why are these owls threatened?
Human impact through destruction of habitat is the primary reason that the Mexican spotted owl is listed on the endangered species list.  "Timber-harvest practices in the Southwestern Region (Region 3 of the FS; within Region 2 of the FWS) were cited as the primary factors threatening the continued existence of the owl...In addition, the shelterwood silvicultural system calls for even-aged conditions in perpetuity. Thus, stands already changed from “suitable” (i.e., presently supporting Mexican spotted owls) to “capable” (i.e., not currently supporting Mexican spotted owls but with the potential to support them in the future) would not be allowed to return to a suitable condition. Acreage slated for future harvest would be similarly rendered perpetually unsuitable for owl nesting and roosting."(MSO fws recovery plan)

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Threats to continued existance

 The Mexican spotted owls are impacted by the lack of precipitation in their range.  When areas don’t get the needed amount of precipitation, the owls are unable to live there and their range is decreased.  “At this time, no empirical evidence exists documenting changes in Mexican spotted owl distribution or population size due to climate change. As mentioned above, however, both survival and reproduction were positively correlated with precipitation in two populations studied…and a simulation study… suggested that increasingly warmer and drier climates would greatly increase extirpation risk for Mexican spotted owls in study areas in Arizona and New Mexico.” (MSO fws recovery plan)  Continued deforestation of older trees destroys the owls' habitat.  Predation, starvation, disease, accidents, competition, and human disturbance all pose as threats to the continued existence of the Mexican Spotted owl.



Recovery Plan

The current recovery plan according to the fish and wildlife services include six steps with a goal of recovery and being able to delist the Mexican spotted owl.  These six steps are:
1) Protecting existing owl sites 
2) Managing for recovery nest/roost habitat to replace that lost to fire and other events and to provide additional sites for an expanding population
3) Managing threats
4) Monitoring population trends and habitat
5) Monitoring plan implementation
6) Building partnerships to facilitate recovery. 
(MSO fws recovery plan) 

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