American authorities want to have almost 500,000 screech owls shot. Israel’s army suffers increasing losses – the night update

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to save spotted owls by shooting nearly half a million barred owls. This was reported by the American television channel NBC News, citing a public request from the authority.

The spotted owl is a species of owl native to the west coast of the US and can grow up to 43 centimeters in length. It has a wingspan of 1.14 meters. The barred owl is very similar, but not identical: as the name suggests, its plumage is not spotted, but striped. The plumage of both birds is brownish-gray.

“They basically eat everything”

However, the barred owl is considerably larger than its little brother, measuring up to 63 centimeters. The wingspan can reach up to 1.25 meters. Unlike the spotted owl, it is not a native species to the West Coast – and now poses a threat to the smaller bird of prey.

This is mainly due to his behavior. The Barred Owl reproduces faster, hunts more aggressively and is less selective in its choice of habitat. “They enter the spotted owl’s habitat, reach a high population, eat almost anything and become competitors,” biologist David Wiens explained to NBC News.

To preserve the spotted owl population, that of barred owls must be reduced or, as the authority calls it, ‘lethally removed’ – that is, shot with shotguns. About 470,000 animals are expected to be killed in Washington, Oregon and California over the next three decades.

Little impact on the barred owl population

The barred owl population would not be threatened: the authority speaks of one to two percent of the owl’s global range.

But why this long-term and drastic measure? In 2021, NBC writes, Wiens published a study on the removal of the barred owl. Over a five-year period, nearly 2,500 owls were shot in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The spotted owls’ chances of survival then increased by about ten percent. The population stabilized, but did not increase.

“Correcting an unnatural situation”

To achieve an increase and thus save the species, a longer-term approach is needed, according to Wiens. ‘Otherwise the barred owl would recover. In that case, we would have to manage this species forever.”

The fact that the barred owl lives on the West Coast today is probably because humans introduced it. The authority states that it is necessary to ‘correct the unnatural situation’.

Animal rights activists: “Not a good solution”

Opposition comes from the animal protection organization “Friends of Animals”. We need to talk about how to deal with the challenges of climate change and changing habitats, said spokeswoman Jennifer Best. “Killing species that adapt is not a good solution.”

The Fish and Wildlife Authority’s application is currently still open for public discussion. The final version should be submitted next summer.