Spotted Owl
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{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Spotted Owl | status = Conservation status: Lower risk (nt) | image = Northern Spotted Owl.USFWS.jpg | image_width = 200px | image_caption = northern race plumage | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Aves | ordo = Strigiformes | familia = Strigidae | genus = Strix | species = S. occidentalis | binomial = Strix occidentalis | binomial_authority = Xantus de Vesey, 1860 }}
The Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, is a species of owl. It is a resident species of forests in western North America, where it nests in tree holes, old bird of prey nests, or rock crevices. Nests can be between 13 and 66 yards (12 to 60 meters) high, usually contain two eggs (though some will contain as many as four). It is a strictly nocturnal owl, which feeds on small mammals and birds.
This owl has a length of 43 cm (17 inches), a wingspan of 114 cm (45 inches, and a weight of around 600 g (21 ounces). Its eggs are a little over 2 inches (50 millimeters) long, and are white and smooth with a slightly grainy texture. The female sits on the eggs and cares for the young, while the male provides food for them.
The four sub-species are Strix occidentalis, Strix occidentalis caurina (Northern Spotted Owl), Strix occidentalis occidentalis, and Strix occidentalis lucida (often referred to as the Mexican Spotted Owl).
This bird was the subject of considerable controversy during the late 1980s and early 1990s in the northwest United States with its inclusion to the Endangered Species Act.