The Spotted Owl is a large owl of western North American forests. It silently hunts small mammals at night.
It is a large owl with brown eyes. The three subspecies differ in brown plumage and the size of their white spots.
Northern and California Spotted Owls meet in northern California. Researchers collected feathers from 126 Northern Spotted Owls and 105 California Spotted Owls there between 2011 and 2015. They analyzed mitochondrial DNA and ten nuclear microsatellite loci to examine genetic differentiation and ancestry in the contact zone. The samples came from defined forest properties and nearby parts of the Sierra Nevada.
Among 119 Northern Spotted Owl samples from the contact zone, 66 were classified as F2 or Northern Spotted Owl backcross ancestry. Hybrid ancestry was also identified in California Spotted Owl samples, but no F1 generation was found. The authors identified the contact-zone Northern Spotted Owls as a distinct genetic population relative to other sampled groups.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The study analyzed feather samples collected in northern California from 2011 to 2015. Of 119 Northern Spotted Owl samples from the contact zone, 66 were classified as F2 or Northern backcross ancestry; hybrid ancestry also appeared in California Spotted Owl samples. No F1 generation was identified. The contact-zone Northern Spotted Owl samples formed a distinct genetic population. The authors discussed the asymmetry as evidence that the contact zone may be dynamic.