The California spotted owl is a brown owl with white spots and big dark eyes. It doesn’t make a lot of noise, and it comes out at night. You probably won’t see one, but it’s out there—quietly watching and hunting.
This owl likes to live in thick, shady forests with big, old trees—the kind of places that are cool, quiet, and full of hiding spots. You can find it in places like the Sierra Nevada Mountains and southern California hills. It doesn’t build nests like other birds. It just finds a good tree branch or a hole in a tree and makes itself at home.
Spotted owls are great hunters. At night, they swoop down and grab:
● Mice
● Rats
● Squirrels
● Bugs
If it’s small and moves, chances are the owl’s going to eat it.
Too many trees are being cut down,
and that means fewer homes for owls.
Wildfires
are burning the forests where they live.
The weather is changing,
making it harder for them to find food and shelter.
Other owls,
like the barred owl, are moving in and taking over their space.
Protecting the forests where it lives.
Trying to stop too much logging in those areas.
Studying the owls so they know how to keep them safe.
The government is also thinking about giving the owl extra protection by listing it as a Threatened Species.
When the forest is healthy, the owl is healthy. And when the forest is healthy, people are better off too—we get cleaner air, better water, and good places for our kids to play. Saving this little owl helps everyone, not just the birds.
