Federal agency proposes California spotted owl protection
Fox News
A federal wildlife agency has introduced a protection proposal for the California spotted owl. This comes after a lawsuit to assess the decision not to protect the brown and white birds.
That population "does not have a strong ability to withstand normal variations in environmental conditions, persist through catastrophic events, or adapt to new environmental conditions throughout its range," which led the agency to propose listing it as endangered, wildlife officials said.
The other California spotted owl population, which lives in Sierra Nevada forests in California and western Nevada, would be classified as threatened, the agency said.
The habitat of the medium-sized brown owl with white spots on its head and chest and a barred tail is under serious threat from current logging practices and climate change, including increased drought, disease and more extreme wildfires.