Endangered Mexican Spotted Owl
By: Rosio Villalpando
Description and Ecology
The Mexican Spotted owl is one of the three subspecies of
spotted owls. It belongs within the genus Strix where it derives its binomial
name of Strix occidentalis lucida. The other two subspecies are the California
and Northern spotted owls, but the Mexican spotted owl has distinct appearance
characteristics that makes it unique. It is the smallest subspecies of spotted
owl but the largest owl in North America. In addition to being that smallest
spotted owl its other feature is its striking round brown eyes unlike the light
colors of any other type of owl. The Mexican spotted owl’s fluffy mass of
feathers makes it identical to other owls. Although they are a chestnut brown
color with white and brown spots in the abdomen and horizontal stripes on the tail.
The owl is an average of 18 inches tall with a wingspan of 45 inches and
typically weighs less than one pound. Most surprising quality is that all the
females are larger than the males.
The shy owl wonders in the North America old-growth forest
of white pine, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine as well as rocky canyons. The
forested mountains creates a dense canopy for the perfect nesting spot. In the
nest the female lays the average of two eggs in the spring and takes care of
its offspring while the male is responsible for providing food. They prey on a
variety of small mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects but their main diet
consists of mice, voles, bats, and woodrats.
Geographic and Population Changes
The Mexican spotted owl has the largest geographic
distribution of the rest spotted owls ranging from the southern Rocky Mountains
in Colorado, southern Utah, Arizona, western portions of Texas, and New Mexico.
North America is not only the home of the Mexican spotted owl but also the central
mountains of northern and central Mexico. Fewer owls exists in Mexico and only
about a little over 2,000 owl live in North America. Slowly the population of
owls is reducing and the habitats are becoming patchier.
Listing
In 1993 the Mexican spotted owl was listed by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service as threatened under Section 3 of the Endangered Species Act.
The original plan was not completed until 1995 and is was revised and finalized
in 2012. Mexican spotted owl was listed for various reasons that was affected
their habitat.
The decline of spotted owl has been caused by various
factors. However, the main contributor to the decrease in population of this
shy kind owl has been habitat destruction.
a. Destruction of Habitat
1.
Timber-harvest and Fires: The practices of these
two actions have been the primarily factor that threatens the life of an owl.
These actions have been seen in the southwestern U.S. where large fires burn
down the area and there is still a higher likelihood that wildfires will
increase in the future. Some areas of the forest have also been destroyed
through the process of logging, although since the 1990s the level of
commercial harvest has declined by more than 95%.
2.
Grazing: Livestock grazing in agriculture can
have long and short-term conditions effects on Mexican spotted owls. An example
of one effect is devastating the forest which reduces herbaceous ground cover.
3.
Energy Development: Electrocutions, disturbance,
removal of trees, dead materials, and construction activities to the
development of infrastructure, oil, gas, wind etc. affect the owl’s habitat
loss.
4.
Roads and Trails: The construction of roads have
fragmented the owl’s habitat as an indirect action.
5.
Land Development and Recreation: Land
development and recreation have also been a threat to the owl given that they
increase human disturbances.
b. Natural and Manmade Factors
1.
Noise and Disturbance: The owls can really be
affected in their behaviors by any noise-producing activity. There are chances
that it will increase stress, predators, and affect their nesting.
2.
Climate Change: The global increase of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can change the distribution of the owl, and
will enlarge the chances of competitors and predators. Their demographics rates
and interaction will also shift and the warming will heighten the severity of
habitat destruction.
c.
Predation
Owls are known to eat each other.
The great horned owl preys on the spotted owls and the barred owl encroaches
them as well.
Recovery Plan
The conservation efforts being done to delist this species
are listed under the recovery plan which declares its goal to fully recover the
specie in less than 10 years if the criteria’s are implemented.
The down listing process will require 5 key elements:
1.
Protect existing populations
2.
Manage habitat
3.
Manage threats
4.
Monitor population and habitat
5.
Conduct research and build partnerships
Learn more about the Recovery Plan by downloading and reading the
pdf version to your computer and be informed about the harms we can have on
many species.
Personal Action
I have been aware of the dangers many species encounter
since I was a child. I lived in Mexico for half my life and when I was eight
years old my dad came home from a rural area in the mountains where he
harvested with what seem to be a puppy. Lobo, my dog, followed me to school and
was basically my best friend until one day when I was walking to school. I
didn't notice the small gray puppy was following me until I heard a car come to
a loud stop. My dog had collided into a car and died. As I grew older I became
aware of the harms my family had done to this animal by having it at home. I
realized that my “dog” was in fact a Mexican gray wolf which is the most
endangered wolf in the world. My perception of the world has changed and now
from my part I will lessen my carbon footprint to help the Mexican spotted owl
because it's the best I can do. I will also speak up and make others aware of
the changes they can have on this animals if they contribute to the action.
Lastly, you and I can make a small considerate action by donating to the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service and learn to protect the wonders of our world.
Help Out!
Donate to the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service which works to conserve many species.
Corrigan, Bob. “Mexican Spotted Owl.” Encyclopedia of Life. 22 Mar. 2015.Web. 3 Dec. 2015.<http://eol.org/data_objects/17602862>.
“Mexican Spotted Owl.” Our Endangered World, n.d. Web. 3 Dec.
2015.<http://www.ourendangeredworld.com/species/birds-bats/mexican-spotted-owl/>.
“Recovery Plan for the Mexican
Spotted Owl, First Revision.” U.S.Fish
& Wildlife Service. 16 Oct. 1995. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/MSO_Recovery_Plan_First_Revision_Dec2012.pdf>.
“Saving the Mexican Spotted Owl.” Center for Biological Diversity, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/birds/Mexican_spotted_owl/>.
You did a really good job with captivating the audience and incorporating lots of information. It's sad that habitat destruction has been the main cause of their decline, but I am hopeful that conservationists will help overcome this. #BIO227Fall2015 -Nicole Tedjasaputra
ReplyDeleteI liked the personal story you shared in the last section. It is interesting to see what gets people motivated to be apart of conservation efforts. #BIO227Fall2015
ReplyDelete-Jeremy Webber