Tiny Owl Gets More Protection

The current United States administration has significantly reduced a particular area allocated for logging, to preserve the natural and critical habitat of the northern spotted owl and prevent the bird from going extinct.

“We’re glad the Biden administration repealed the ridiculous and politically driven decision to strip 3m acres [1.2m hectares] from the spotted owl’s critical habitat,” says Noah Greenwald, the endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It needs all the habitat it can get if it’s going to make it.”

Under the revised plan, some 83,000 hectares – or 2% of the 4 million hectares designated in 2012 as habitat for the small chocolate-brown owl – will be available for logging and development, and 1.2 million hectares will be restored and protected. The small winged bird species lives in forested areas in the states of Oregon, Washington, and northern California.