Saturday, June 22, 2013

New E-Fauna Species Account: the Spotted Owl in British Columbia

 Juvenile Spotted Owls in the Fraser Valley. Photo by Shawn Hilton

Wildlife researchers continue to gather data on the endangered Spotted Owl in BC and researcher Shawn Hilton has provided some up-to-date insights on this red-listed species for the E-Fauna BC atlas page.  A few highlights from his species account include up-to-date population estimates and information on prey species:
  •  "From 1992 to 2002 there was a decline of up to 67% in the BC Spotted Owl population (Chutter et al. 2004). There are estimated to be fewer than 25 Spotted Owls left in BC".  
  • In the Squamish and Chilliwack Forest Districts of BC, the Northern Flying Squirrel comprises 43% of Spotted Owl prey, but the owl also preys on Bushy-tailed Woodrats and Deer Mice
Read Shawn's full species account for the Spotted Owl here.
Visit the Spotted Owl photo gallery.

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