Scientific Name
Strix occidentalis lucida
Identification
- Unlike most owls, they have dark eyes. Flammulated owls, also found in the park, also have dark eyes, but they are much smaller than Mexican spotted owls.
- These owls have an ashy-chestnut brown coloration with white spots on their breast, back, and head. Their brown tails are marked with thin white bands.
- Females are larger than males, standing up to 18 inches (45cm) tall.
- Juveniles less than 5 months have a downy appearance.
Habitat
- Mexican spotted owls are found from central Mexico to southern Utah and Colorado.
- In most of their range, spotted owls live in old-growth forests. In the Grand Canyon, they live in caves and ledges on the cliffs of narrow side canyons.
- They do not build their own nest, but instead use stick platforms made by other birds, tree cavities, cliff platforms, and caves.
Behavior
- Mexican spotted owls are nocturnal, and are most active at night.
- The most common prey are rodents, including woodrats, mice, and pocket gophers.
- Each pair will have 2-4 eggs per year. Spotted owls are most vocal during mating season and while they are raising their chicks, a period lasting from March through June. During this time of year, their common four-note hoot is heard in the early evening and just before dawn.
- Chicks can fly short distances by the time they are 40-45 days old, and begin hunting at around 60-70 days old.
