10/05/2025
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants the public to believe this mass killing is about “saving” Spotted Owls. But it has never truly been about owls. Now, 450,000 Barred Owls are marked for eradication, lured by recordings of their mates or young, only to be met with a bullet. They’ve framed one species as “invasive,” yet both Barred and Spotted Owls interbreed naturally. Meanwhile, Great Horned Owls, who prey on both species, far outnumber them combined. I am team every owl. No owl deserves what has begun for the Barred Owls.
The truth is that owls are being used as scapegoats while the real forces; logging, profit, and land controlmove quietly in the background. Do you believe everything the U.S. FWS tells you?
I don’t have a PhD after my name, but I do have 15 years of fieldwork studying owls in the wild, nine years volunteering in wildlife rehabilitation, and hands-on experience alongside falconers. What I’ve learned in the field is worth more than any textbook could offer.
Here are a few things most people don’t realize:
• Only about one in three baby Barred Owls survives to adulthood, most lost to starvation or predation. Raccoons raid their nests, and Great Horned Owls prey on both Barred and Spotted Owls.
• Barred and Spotted Owls sometimes interbreed, producing hybrids known as “sparred owls.” That’s real, documented science.
• If you look at eBird maps, you’ll see Barred and Spotted Owl ranges appear distinct. But the Great Horned Owl map is painted across the entire U.S.—their numbers are overwhelming, and yes, they prey on both species, while also being double their population size.
• Despite all the falconers, raptor programs, and wildlife rescues I know who work with species like Snowy Owls, Great Grey Owls, and Eurasian Eagle Owls, I don’t know of a single program that has attempted to breed Spotted Owls with all the facilities I personally know. That tells me not all options have been explored.
So, if you love owls; Barred, Spotted, Great Horned, every one of them then you already know: killing is never conservation.
Half the words
If you love something, you protect it with every fibre of your being.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service claims killing 450,000 Barred Owls is to “save” Spotted Owls. But this has never truly been about owls. These birds are lured by recordings of their mates or young, only to be shot.
Barred and Spotted Owls interbreed naturally, while Great Horned Owls—who prey on both—far outnumber them combined. No owl deserves this fate.
Killing is not conservation. Protecting habitat is.
