Photo © Richard Buquoi

SPOTTED OWL

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.