A western North American bird in the family Strigidae, genus Strix, it is a medium-sized dark brown owl native to the Pacific Northwest.

[4] The northern spotted owl primarily inhabits old growth forests in the northern part of its range (extreme southwestern Canada to southern Oregon) and landscapes with a mix of old and younger forest types in the southern part of its range (Klamath region and California).

The subspecies' range is the Pacific coast from extreme southern British Columbia to Marin County in northern California.

Northern spotted owls range on 500,000 acres of the 7.6 percent of private forestlands managed by Native American tribes in the state of Washington.

Regardless of tribal or private ownership, however, the United States federal government requires all land owners and inhabitants to comply with the Endangered Species Act.

Northern spotted owls remain in the same geographical areas unless forced out from harsh conditions or lack of food.

[7] The main species consumed by the northern spotted owl are northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus), woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes and N. cinerea), red tree voles (Arborimus longicaudus), western red-backed voles (Clethnonomys californicus), deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), and gophers (Thomomys spp.).

As the IUCN Red List does not track subspecies, this status is applied to species across its whole range in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

[11] It started in 2007 in Langley with the goal of producing owls in captivity for release into protected habitat to prevent the extirpation of the species from Canada.

[12] The short-term goals of the Program include growing the captive population to 10 breeding pairs and releasing 10-20 offspring per year into the 300,000 hectares of protected old-growth forest.

Long-term the Breeding Program aims to recover the wild population to self-sustaining numbers, approximately 300 adults, over the next 10–20 years.

[11] The northern spotted owl was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act throughout its range of northern California, Oregon and Washington by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service on June 23, 1990 citing loss of old-growth habitat as the primary threat.

The USFWS previously reviewed the status of the northern spotted owl in 1982, 1987 and 1989 but found it did not warrant listing as either threatened or endangered.

[16] Studies published in 2021 [17] and 2024 [18] suggest that listing the Northern Spotted Owl under the Endangered Species Act significantly reduced timber employment in the Pacific Northwest.

One of these would emphasize wildfire management as key to owl persistence on the east side of the Cascades, and in the Klamath province.

[26][27][28] In early 2021, the Trump administration removed more than 3 million acres of Pacific Northwest land from the protected habitat of the northern spotted owl, 15 times the amount it had previously proposed opening to the timber industry.

Aurelia Skipwith, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, stated that "these common-sense revisions ensure we are continuing to recover the northern spotted owl while being a good neighbor to rural communities within the critical habitat" even though northern spotted owl populations continue to decline.

[31] Barred owls have a diet of small mammals (74.7%), other birds (8.3%), amphibians (6.4%), bugs (5.6%), crayfish (3.0%), fish (1.5%), reptiles, snails and slugs, and earthworms (<1.0% each).

The greater diversity of diet in the barred owl, notably in the amphibians, crayfish, and fish consumed, threatens ecological stability due to extended predation now experienced by affected species.

Without intervention, continued annual decrease in population levels would ultimately end in extinction of the northern spotted owl.

Previous geographical isolation had prevented prior hybridization, and current ones are difficult to distinguish from nonhybrids without using genetic testing techniques.

Direct competition between species for habitat space and food is determined to be much more significant issues in affecting both target populations.