Density and roost site characteristics of Spotted Owls in the Sierra Madre Occidental, Chihuahua, Mexico

Abstract

We estimated density and characterized roosting habitat of Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) in the Sierra Madre Occidental in southwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. Mean Spotted Owl density in Chihuahua (0.089 owls km-2) was approximately half that reported for Arizona and New Mexico. Owls were primarily (70%) roosting in medium-sized trees, which likely resulted from a paucity of mature and old-growth forest on our study area. Spotted Owl roosts had steeper slopes, more canopy layers, greater canopy closure, and greater live tree basal area than random sites. Management objectives should promote increasing canopy closure and understory diversity to improve habitats for Mexican Spotted Owls in northern Mexico.