Barred Owl Threat
Encroaching Competitor Adds to Spotted Owl's Struggle
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has identified competition from barred owls as one of two main threats to the northern spotted owl’s continued `survival (habitat loss is the other). We are conducting an experiment to test the effects of removing barred owls from certain areas of spotted owl habitat to see if it would benefit spotted owls. Removal of some members of a common species to protect or recover a rare species is only used in the most serious conservation situations.
Barred owls are native to eastern North America. It is believed they began expanding west of the Mississippi River around the turn of the 20th century. This could have been a natural range expansion or human-caused, or a combination of both. The most common theory is that the barred owl’s westward movement was caused by changes to the environment in the Great Plains as people increasingly settled there and dramatically altered the landscape. This may have removed natural barriers that previously inhibited the barred owl’s westward expansion.
Barred owls now outnumber spotted owls in many portions of the latter’s range. Researchers have seen strong evidence that spotted owl population declines are more pronounced in areas where barred owls have moved into the spotted owl’s range. Declines are greatest where barred owls have been present the longest. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is concerned that without barred owl population management, the spotted owl is likely to go extinct in some parts of its range.
Barred owls are larger, more aggressive, and more adaptable than northern spotted owls. They displace spotted owls, disrupt their nesting, and compete with them for food. Researchers also have seen a few instances of barred owls interbreeding with or killing spotted owls. Because the spotted owl is already struggling due to its reduced habitat, the effect of the barred owl’s presence is an added stressor. An already vulnerable population has a much more difficult time withstanding dramatic changes in the ecosystem such as the encroachment of a competitor. A healthy population, on the other hand, has more flexibility to adapt to changes.
The goal of this experiment is to test the feasibility of barred owl removal to determine whether it improves conditions for spotted owls on a small scale. We will remove barred owls on less than one twentieth of one percent of the range of the barred owl. If the experimental removal of barred owls results in improved spotted owl populations, we may consider proposing wider scale treatments as part of a barred owl management strategy. We would initiate a separate environmental review, with an extensive public review and comment process before making any such decision.
Biologists are just finishing up egg mass surveys in the Deschutes Basin. Breeding starts after the snow melts in Central Oregon, much later than in Washington where the frog occurs at lower elevations. Oregon spotted frog is native to the Pacific Northwest and spends most of its time in water. It was listed as threatend under the ESA in 2014.