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Wildlife Featured in this article
- Barred owl
- California spotted owl
- Northern spotted owl
USFWS plans to cull 450,000 barred owls to help native species
Project aims to stymie loss of California and northern spotted owls
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to cull nearly half a million invasive barred owls on the West Coast in order to stymie their invasion into spotted owl territory. Barred owls are native to eastern North America, but they have slowly been colonizing areas on the West Coast. These newcomers squeeze native spotted owls out of their habitat. The California (C. e. occidentalis) and northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) subspecies are particularly affected. The latter is listed as federally threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, while the former is a candidate for listing. As a result, the USFWS has formed a plan to lethally remove some 450,000 barred owls (Strix varia) using sharpshooters, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press.
Header Image: Barred owls have been colonizing parts of the West Coast for years. Credit: Don Henise
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