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Species Information

Kingdom: Animalia
  Phylum: Craniata
    Class: Aves
      Order: Strigiformes
        Family: Strigidae
          Genus: Strix
            Species: occidentalis lucida

Mexican Spotted Owl - Strix occidentalis lucida

393496

Species Extent (New Mexico)

General Description

Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) is a large (47-48 cm) brown owl with dark eyes; a spotted head, back, chest, and belly; and no ear tufts. They are distributed through the rugged mountainous regions of the southwestern U.S. and into central Mexico. Their preferred habitat is closed-canopy, dense, multi-layered, uneven-aged, old-growth, mixed conifer forests with numerous snags and downed woody material. Secondary habitats include steep, narrow canyons with cliffs and a perennial water source. Mammals make up the bulk of the owl?s diet.

Status

Global Rank: G3G4T3T4

State Rank: S2B,S2N

State Status:

Federal Status: Listed Threatened [LT]

USFS Status:

BLM Status:

SWAP Status: SGCN

NMRP Strategy Status:

Observations in Natural Heritage New Mexico Database

Number of Subpopulations: 123

Number of Mapped Locations: 3279

Number of Observations: 7049

Observation date range: 01-01-1900 to 08-14-2024

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