(Strix occidentalis)
The Spotted Owl is a medium-sized owl (16-1/2 to 19 inches) without ear tufts. It is a dark brown bird with white spots; the underparts are white brown barring. The eyes are dark. ( All other large North American owls except the Barn and Barred Owls have yellow eyes.) The Spotted Owl's cousin, the Barred Owl, is light gray, with streaks on the breast and belly.
The voice sounds like a dog barking, the hoots coming in sets of threes or fours followed by a louder, longer hooo-ah.
The Spotted Owl favors wooded canyons and heavy forests along the West Coast of the United States. This bird is nocturnal. It's chief prey consists of rodents. It is extremely rare and decreasing because of a loss of habitat from logging activities. Environmentalists have voiced their grave concern for the welfare of this bird. It has become quite a political issue.
The owl lays its two or three white eggs in a tree or canyon wall cavity or an abandoned hawk's nest.
The owl is a resident from southwestern British Columbia south through California's coast and interior ranges; it can also be found in northern Utah, parts of Colorado and in New Mexico.
