Northern Spotted Owl spotted in Apalach

On Thursday, Oct 28, a Northern Spotted Owl was seen and photographed perched atop a pole in the big drainage ditch adjacent to Veterans Memory Plaza at the corner of Market Street and Avenue I.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list the Owl as critically endangered, which means the species numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations.

The Northern Spotted Owl can be recognized by the dark brown oval white spots on its head, neck and back, and by its whitish underbody with brown bars along the abdomen and chest. The bird’s flight feathers are dark brown in color and have light brown or white bars and its facial disk has white feathers around the eyes running down each side of its beak.

The Northern Spotted Owl documented average lifespan in the wild is 10 years of age.

Photo by Gail D. Johnson