The Mexican Owl

The Mexican owl, unlike most owls has dark eyes and is usually an ashy-chestnut brown color with white and brown spots.

These are usually on its back or head. The spots are bigger than a Californian spotted and Northern spotted owl making the spots seem lighter. They have brown tails which are marked with two white bands. The owl is one of the biggest in the North American region. They can be from 16-19 inches high, a length of 17 inches with the wingspan being from 42-45inches and weigh 1.2-1.4 lbs and males are usually bigger than females. It can survive for up to 16-17 yrs in the wild. The owl eats mainly wood mice, rabbits, bats and voles. There is an estimated 2,100 of them in United States and populations in Mexico are seriously low. They can be in forested mountains and canyons from southern Utah and Colorado to the mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas. It would remain in one place unless harsh winters or heavy snow force come into the area. In warmer areas, territory may increase to availability of food. They are described as ‘Perch and Pounce predators as they observe for any food and then once they have located it, swoop it up with their talons. Most of the owls are solitary and will only come together to mate which would be from mid-February to mid-March. Their gestation period can last up to 2 months and clutch size be from 2-4 eggs. The owl is threatened by loss of old growth forests,(where it mostly prefers to live), starvation, fire and low juvenile survival rates.