Drum roll please, California Audubon's 2016 Bird of the Year is...

Northern spotted owl  Photo courtesy of Audubon California

Members of Audubon California chose the Northern Spotted Owl as the 2016 Bird of the Year, and that’s the second big win this bird had this year. Now those wins are facing threats.

In August, this iconic bird was placed on the California Endangered Species List by the State Fish and Game Commission, thanks to the thousands of Audubon advocates who made their voices heard in response to the petition filed by EPIC. This adds much-needed protections to those the bird received when it was placed on the Federal Endangered Species List back in 1990. But these protections won't mean much without funds and people to protect them.

According to Audubon, we need to do more:

• As climate change threatens to reduce the Northern Spotted Owl’s range, we will continue to push for stronger measures to address global warming.
• We’re fighting for adequate funding for state wildlife management, because these new protections won’t mean much if there isn’t money to sustain them.
• With California forests so vital for birds, we will continue to advocate for sensible forest management, not just in the Pacific Northwest, but in the Sierra and elsewhere. 

The new state listing should result in greater scrutiny of logging, forest management, and development within the bird’s range, increased coordination among public agencies and the possibility of additional funding for protection and recovery efforts.

Audubon California is ready to go to bat for owls and other threatened birds. They are ready to fight hard to defend sensible forestry practices and adequate funding for wildlife and environmental management.

Protections for Northern Spotted Owls have benefited hundreds of other species – birds, reptiles, mammals, fungi and plants have all been protected from destruction when the forests were left in peace.

To support these efforts, go to: Audubon California.

Happy Birding!
J.J.