Although they have been in the Pacific Northwest since the 1950’s barred owls are not native. In fact they are considered a big enough nuisance that a federal agency is planning a barred owl slaughter. Up to 500,000 of the birds are to be shot by hunters recruited for the task. Although the number is large it will be spread over 30 years.
The plan is still in the public comment phase until the beginning of next year. It would entail killing up to 50,000 of the owls a year.
It is not a capricious decision on the part of United States Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fws.gov) Since the barred owl (Strix varius) moved west in the 1950’s it has helped drive the spotted owl (Strix occientalis) nearer to regional extinction. The barred owls are bigger, more aggressive and they eat a wider variety of food. When they arrive the spotted owls start to disappear. Barred owls interefere with spotted owl nesting, the FWS says.,
The numbers are stark. The population estimate for barred owls is over 3 million while the estimate for the spotted owl is about 15,000.
Moreover, the FWS has a legal responsibility to protect the spotted owl as it is becoming endangered. In addition, the number of owls hunted will not reduce the global population of barred owls by more than one percent. NWS says.
Will the hunt work? Apparently so. The NWS has experimented with smaller scale hunts and the results have had a positive impact on the spotted owl population. Spotted owls primarily eat mice and other birds. They usually lay two eggs. They weigh about 1.3 pounds.
By contrast barred owls can be up to one-third larger and lay about one more egg per clutch. They are aggressive, as noted, and eat anything from insects and small animals to insects, fish and earthworms.
If the barred owl slaughter plan goes through as envisioned, hunters will be recruited and set numbers of owls removed. Owls can travel quite a distance. Recently, an Arctic owl was spotted in California before apparently heading home.