Spotted Owl Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Spotted Owls are large owls with rounded heads that lack ear tufts. The wings are broad and rounded; the tail is short.

  Relative Size

  Slightly larger than an American Crow; slightly smaller than a Barred Owl.

  between crow and goose

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 18.5-18.9 in (47-48 cm)
    • Weight: 17.6-24.7 oz (500-700 g)
    • Wingspan: 39.8 in (101 cm)

  © Logan Southall / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Spotted Owls are dark-brown overall dappled with white. The chest and belly are marked with large, oval white spots. The facial disks are dark brown with pale marks forming an X between the eyes. The Mexican subspecies has a paler facial disk. The eyes are brown.

• Behavior

  Spotted Owls are nocturnal. They hunt small mammals, especially flying squirrels and woodrats, by listening quietly from a perch and then swooping silently down on their prey.
• Habitat

  Spotted Owls live in mature forests and are sensitive to habitat disturbance. The Northern Spotted Owl lives in expansive old-growth forests with complex, multilayered understories. The California subspecies lives in conifer forests as well as oak woodlands. The Mexican subspecies occurs in pine-oak forests, steep canyons, and mixed conifer forest.

Regional Differences

Spotted Owls are classified into three subspecies, each inhabiting a different geographic range and distinguished by slightly different size, coloration, and markings. The Northern Spotted Owl—the subspecies at the center of debate over old-growth logging—inhabits forests from British Columbia to northern California. The California subspecies lives only in that state, while the Mexican Spotted Owl can be found from Utah and Colorado southward into Mexico. The more southerly the subspecies, the paler its plumage and the larger its white spots.

Regional Photos

© Grace Oliver / Macaulay LibraryOregon

© Max Leibowitz / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia

© Caleb Strand / Macaulay LibraryArizona