The edges of the feathers of a spotted owl have a special fringe that enables the spotted owl to fly silently and surprise its victims, making the owl well suited for night hunting. It hunts primarily by watching from a perch, then flying out to capture prey with its sharp talons. The male spotted owl defends his territory by calling at dusk and at night with his loud, deep calls that sound somewhat like a barking dog.
The northern spotted owl has been the focus of recent controversy because of its special breeding requirements. It does not normally breed in second growth forests (areas that have grown back after being cleared). In order to breed successfully and gather enough food for its young, a single pair of spotted owls requires about 100acres of old-growth forest; typically among redwoods, Douglas fir, spruce, or hemlock. Spotted owl populations have declined as their natural breeding grounds have been clear-cut or developed.
In 1990 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed the northern spotted owl as a threatened species and limited the legal sale of timber from areas where it is known to nest. Because the trees on 100 acres of old-growth forest are worth more than $1 million, this action has created conflict between people in the logging industry, who want to harvest valuable timber resources and protect numerous jobs, as well as with conservationists, who want to protect old-growth forests. In 1993 the Mexican spotted owl was also listed as threatened.
In the last three decades, focus has shifted away from the preservation of individual species to the protection of large tracts of habitats linked by corridors that enable animals to move between the habitats. Because of this, the movement to save species such as the spotted owl has become an effort to protect vast tracts of old-growth timber in North America.
The Endangered Species Act has achieved some notable accomplishments in species protection and recovery, yet still continues to be subjected to negative opinions.
