Strix occidentalis ORDER: STRIGIFORMES FAMILY: STRIGIDAE
IUCN Conservation Status: Near Threatened
© Jeffrey Rich/CLO
A denizen of mature coniferous forests, the Spotted Owl has been at the center of debates between forces for and against logging in the Pacific Northwest. Because of its role as the indicator species for old-growth forest, it has become one of the best-studied owls in the world.
Call a series of four spaced notes with the two middle ones closest together, "hup, hoo-hoo, hooo."
Fort Huachuca's Acoustic Sentinels: Listening in on Spotted Owls and other secretive nocturnal species. Story in BirdScope.