Not many owls have protections under the Endangered Species Act. But between habitat loss and climate change, several owl species are struggling. Here are a few:
Burrowing Owls - these owls are mostly affected by the destruction of their habitat. A petition was made in 2003 to get California to list them under the state’s ESA, but nothing came of it.1
Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl - these owls also face threats from habitat loss as well as invasive species. They were originally put on the endangered species list in 1997 but were taken off in 2009 after some argued that because they still existed in Mexico, they didn’t need protection here.1
Northern Spotted Owl - this owl actually has protection and is currently listed as Threatened. They were listed under the ESA in 1990. The two big threats to their survival are habitat loss and Barred Owls. Barred Owls have made their way into the northwestern United States, although they’re native to the east. They tend to take resources from Northern Spotted Owls.2
Blakiston’s Fish Owl - this owl is native to Russia and is considered Endangered. This is because they only have about 1,000-2,000 left, and face huge challenges from habitat loss and climate change. Climate change has caused more storms and typhoons to hit their habitat and may interfere with their food supplies at the beginning of Spring in the long run.3
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