Back to StoriesBreeding Pair of Eastern Owl Species Spotted for First Time in Grand Teton
November 30, 2023
Breeding Pair of Eastern Owl Species Spotted for First Time in Grand TetonFirst breeding pair of barred owls recorded in park, Wyoming, has experts concerned over potential ecosystem effects
Wildlife biologists in Grand Teton National Park have discovered the first breeding pair the barred owl ever recorded in the park. Researchers are unclear about population size in Greater Yellowstone or what the owls could mean for the ecosystem, but have expressed concern over potential predation on less aggressive owl species. Photo by yvontrep/Shutterstock
by Julia
Barton
The
full-bodied, baritone hoots of barred owls are an iconic sound of wooded swamps
across the southeastern U.S. These birds—comparable in size to great horned
owls—can be found in every state east of the Mississippi River says the
National Audubon Society.
So, when wildlife
biologists heard a pair of the distinctive hoots all the way in Grand Teton
National Park earlier this year, it was no wonder it came as a surprise. Barred
owls aren’t entirely new to Wyoming. According to a rare species observation
database kept by the park, 12 barred owl sightings were reported between 1982
and 1999, and researchers haven’t actively been looking for them until now.
The key
difference in the recent observation caught the attention of wildlife
biologists: the sighting was not of a single owl, but a breeding pair. They’re the
first known pair in the park as well as the state of Wyoming, Valerie Gohlke, a
public affairs officer with the park, confirmed in an email to Mountain
Journal.
“If you have a species moving like the barred owl that starts to disrupt that balance here, it can cascade to affect the entire ecosystem." – Dr. Katherine Gura, biologist, associate research director, Teton Raptor Center
The barred owl
isn’t facing significant population threats, nor is it being forced out of its
native range. Biologists theorize that the cause for its western expansion is
due to anthropomorphism in the Great Plains that created a corridor allowing
owls to reach the West, explained Dr. Katherine Gura, one of the world’s
foremost owl experts and associate research director with the Teton Raptor
Center in Wilson, Wyoming.
“They've been
moving from the East Coast to the West Coast over the past century,” Gura told Mountain
Journal. “That's largely due to anthropogenic activities. For example,
planting trees across the Great Plains allowed them to move across to the
Pacific Northwest where they've had an extremely detrimental effect on spotted
owls.”
Barred owls
are aggressive raptors with a profile that resembles a slimmed-down great gray
owl and a wingspan of nearly four feet. The similarly-sized northern spotted
owl—listed under the Endangered Species Act—relies primarily on old-growth
forests for habitat in Washington, Oregon and northern California. The new
arrivals have wreaked havoc on the already-dwindling spotted owl population,
Gura said.
“If you have a
species moving like the barred owl that starts to disrupt that balance here, it
can cascade to affect the entire ecosystem,” Gura added.
According to
Zach Hutchinson, community science coordinator for Audubon Rockies, the few
sightings in Greater Yellowstone aren’t necessarily cause for concern. However,
he noted that once they arrived in the Pacific Northwest, barred owl
populations took hold quickly. The owls are not a picky species, he explained,
and easily adapt to varying environments so long as they find trees large
enough to support their nests.
“We are
unlikely to see any major shifts yet,” Hutchinson said. “The concern with this
spread is that if there are multiple pairs taking up a lot of territory across
Greater Yellowstone, they will compete for resources or possibly even predate
upon native owls, such as great grays, that aren’t as aggressive or
territorial.”
The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service earlier this month issued a draft
environmental impact statement suggesting that barred owls be
treated as an invasive species in Washington, Oregon and California to protect
spotted owls. FWS has already used lethal management methods in the region to
remove the non-native owls.
“[Historically]
we’ve thought of invasive species coming from another continent, human assisted,”
Hutchinson said, noting that the EIS will likely impact future conversations
about invasive species. “The problem is that the barred owl didn’t just arrive,
it’s been here using the landscape. It’s clearly a hardy species that doesn’t
need a lot of help to try to expand.”
The pair of
barred owls and their fledglings were spotted inside Grand Teton National Park
by biologists surveying native raptors, Gura said, emphasizing the importance
of researchers observing ecosystems to notice change. For now, she said, the
task is surveying barred owls over the next few years to learn how many are in
Greater Yellowstone and assess the potential risks they pose.
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