This owl barely makes it into Texas. When it does, it’s typically at the higher elevation forests of the Guadalupe and Davis mountains. Sightings away from there are likely hatch-year birds floating around searching for the proper habitat to call home. The areas occupied by this species in both of those mountain ranges are (thankfully) protected areas, but a stand-altering wildfire or an outbreak of a destructive forest insect pest could wipe out their habitat.