30-year plan aims to kill 452,000 invasive Barred Owls in West Coast forests to protect native spotted owls.
US wildlife officials plan to escalate efforts to eliminate invasive Barred Owls, which are displacing native owls in West Coast forests. This 30-year plan aims to kill up to 452,000 invasive Barred Owls across a 23,000 square mile area in California, Oregon, and Washington. Researchers estimate that 100,000 Barred Owls now live within a range that contains only about 7,100 native spotted owls. The invasive Barred Owls, native to eastern North America, began appearing in the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s and have displaced many native spotted owls, which require larger territories. The Barred Owl removals would be among the largest such efforts involving birds of prey to date.
August 28, 2024
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