Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida)
Other Names Spotted Owl Texas Status Threatened U.S. Status Threatened, Listed 3/16/1993 Description Unlike most owls, Mexican spotted owls have dark eyes.
Mexican Spotted Owl
Strix occidentalis lucida
Unlike most owls, Mexican spotted owls have dark eyes. The Mexican spotted owl is an ashy-chestnut brown color with white and brown spots on its abdomen, back and head.
MEXICAN SPOTTED OWL
Strix occidentalis lucida
STATUS:
Threatened
DESCRIPTION:
Unlike most owls, Mexican spotted owls have dark eyes. They are an ashy-chestnut brown color with white and brown spots on their abdomen, back and head.
Mexican spotted owls occur in varied habitats. Ponderosa pine-Gambel oak (Q. gambelii) [20,76,79,205] and mixed-conifer forests, typically dominated by Douglas-fir and/or white fir (Abies concolor) [20,30,78,83,205,206], are often used.
The 800-1,600 individual Mexican Spotted Owls may be declining slightly or holding stable. Conservation Issues The decline of the Spotted Owl has been caused largely by the destruction of old-growth forests for precious timber.
For several summers in the 1990s, I worked as a contract biologist surveying for Mexican Spotted Owls in the Southwest. During those nocturnal surveys, I came across many different species of owls from Spotteds to Flammulateds.
Other common names: Arizona Spotted Owl (lucida); Mexican Spotted Owl (lucida); California Spotted Owl (occidentalis); Northern Spotted Owl (caurina); Western Barred Owl; Wood Owl.
 See also: Spotted Owl, Owl, Mice, Barred Owl, Gopher
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