COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Flammulated Owl Otus flammeolus in Canada SPECIAL CONCERN 2001 COSEWIC COSEPAC COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF COMITÉ SUR LA SITUATION DES ENDANGERED WILDLIFE IN ESPÈCES EN PÉRIL CANADA AU CANADA COSEWIC status reports are working documents used in assigning the status of wildlife species suspected of being at risk. This report may be cited as follows: Please note: Persons wishing to cite data in the report should refer to the report (and cite the author(s)); persons wishing to cite the COSEWIC status will refer to the assessment (and cite COSEWIC). A production note will be provided if additional information on the status report history is required. COSEWIC 2001. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Flammulated Owl Otus flammeolus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 24 pp. (www.sararegistry.gc.ca/status/status_e.cfm) Van Woudenberg, A.M. and D.A. Kirk. 1999. COSEWIC assessment and UPDATE status report on the Flammulated Owl Otus flammeolus in. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-24 pp. Previous report(s): Howie, R.R. 1988. COSEWIC status report on the Flammulated Owl Otus flammeolus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-66 pp. Please note the status recommended in the Section "Evaluation and Recommended Status" of the report may differ from the latest status assigned to the species by COSEWIC. For additional copies contact: COSEWIC Secretariat c/o Canadian Wildlife Service Environment Canada Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Tel.: (819) 997-4991 / (819) 953-3215 Fax: (819) 994-3684 E-mail: COSEWIC/[email protected] http://www.cosewic.gc.ca Ếgalement disponible en français sous le titre Ếvaluation et Rapport de situation du COSEPAC sur la situation du Petit-duc nain, (Otus flammeolus) au Canada – Mise à jour. Cover illustration: Flammulated Owl — J. Crosby, The Birds of Canada, by W. Earl Godfrey, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, ON. ©Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada 2003 Catalogue No. CW69-14/426-2005E-PDF ISBN 0-662-39990-0 HTML: CW69-14/426-2005E-HTML 0-662-39991-9 Recycled paper COSEWIC Assessment Summary Assessment Summary – November 2001 Common name Flammulated Owl Scientific name Otus flammeolus Status Special Concern Reason for designation Population is relatively small and patchily distributed; preferred breeding habitat is Douglas-fir/ponderosa pine forest with old-growth characteristics; cavity nest sites and foraging habitat vulnerable to habitat alteration by forest harvest. Occurrence British Columbia Status history Designated Special Concern in April 1988. Status re-examined and confirmed Special Concern in April 1999 and in November 2001. Last assessment based on an existing status report. iii COSEWIC Executive Summary from the 1999 Status Report Flammulated Owl Otus flammeolus Distribution Flammulated Owls breed in the montane forests of western North America and their range extends from central Mexico to south-central British Columbia (BC). In Canada, Flammulated Owls occur only in BC; they occur from the United States (US) border to as far north as McLeese Lake, on the west side of the Fraser River north of Williams Lake, and west to Alexis Creek on the south side of the Chilcotin River. Nesting has been confirmed as far north as Skull Mountain, near Barriere, north of Kamloops. However, two fledglings found in two different years (1995 and 1998) at Williams Lake suggest that Flammulated Owls have nested further north. Protection The Flammulated Owl is protected under the BC Provincial Wildlife Act and it is an offence to destroy or damage eggs, nesting adults and active nests. The 1995 Forest Practices Code of BC provides for special management of Flammulated Owl habitat. Upon release, Forest Practices Code Volume 2 of Identified Wildlife Management Strategy will include this species. The Flammulated Owl is on the blue-list in BC. Population An approximate population estimate for BC is 1,200 pairs. Estimating population size is difficult because of the lack of information on nesting success, with the exception of a few sites. Apart from nest searches on Wheeler Mountain over three successive breeding seasons, there is no information regarding population size or trends for the province. Furthermore, information is lacking on the habitat suitability of dry Douglas-fir forests within the species' range, from which population size could be cautiously extrapolated. Since Flammulated Owls are known to respond to spruce budworm outbreaks and successional stage of forests, populations probably fluctuate on a 40-50 year cycle with budworm activity, seral stage development, and forest management. Habitat The range of the Flammulated Owl is essentially synchronous with that of ponderosa pine. However, at the northern limit of its range, the species also occupies iv the dry Douglas-fir belt. In BC, Flammulated Owls are found primarily in Interior Douglas-fir and secondarily in Ponderosa Pine biogeoclimatic zones. Most Flammulated Owls are found in the xeric, hot, warm and mild subzones of the Interior Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone. Biology Flammulated Owls have a low reproductive rate and can live up to 11 years, so low recruitment can be masked for several years. Age at first breeding is unknown, but lack of mates may force some males to breed when > 1 year old. New mates are chosen each year and clutch size ranges from 2-4. Flammulated Owls may breed in loose colonies but this may be more related to clustering of suitable breeding habitat rather than coloniality per se. They compete for cavities with other cavity-using species, including Northern Flying Squirrels. The species is highly migratory, spending the winter months in Mexico and Central America. Limiting factors Since Flammulated Owls depend on commercially-valuable old-growth ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forests they are susceptible to habitat change through timber harvest. Timber harvest, together with fire suppression, and livestock grazing have drastically altered western Montane forests. The main effect has been to decrease ponderosa pine regeneration (decreasing breeding habitat for owls) but increase Douglas-fir thickets (which provide security cover from predators). Fire suppression has produced overcrowded stands with poor crown development and an increase in shade-tolerant species. Also, selective cutting trees for firewood can alter breeding habitat structure and have adverse effects on nesting owls, especially between May and August when nest trees may be removed. Silvicultural systems that remove only a few old trees, leave some mature trees and create openings that enhance ponderosa pine regeneration will provide continued habitat for Flammulated Owls. If Douglas-fir thickets are left in patches, management to produce uneven-aged stands should retain suitable Flammulated Owl habitat at a landscape level. However, single-species Douglas-fir stands provide limited foraging habitat opportunities for Flammulated Owls and may enhance habitat for Barred Owls, which prey on Flammulated Owls. Other predators include Sharp-shinned Hawks, Northern Flying Squirrels and Black Bears. Because of the Flammulated Owl' s insectivorous diet it may be vulnerable to aerial spraying of bacteria (Bt) used as a management tool to control lepidopteran pests. v COSEWIC MANDATE The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) determines the national status of wild species, subspecies, varieties, and nationally significant populations that are considered to be at risk in Canada. Designations are made on all native species for the following taxonomic groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, lepidopterans, molluscs, vascular plants, lichens, and mosses. COSEWIC MEMBERSHIP COSEWIC comprises representatives from each provincial and territorial government wildlife agency, four federal agencies (Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Federal Biosystematic Partnership), three nonjurisdictional members and the co-chairs of the species specialist groups. The committee meets to consider status reports on candidate species. DEFINITIONS Species Any indigenous species, subspecies, variety, or geographically defined population of wild fauna and flora. Extinct (X) A species that no longer exists. Extirpated (XT) A species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere. Endangered (E) A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction. Threatened (T) A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed. Special Concern (SC)* A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events. Not at Risk (NAR)** A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk. Data Deficient (DD)*** A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation. * Formerly described as “Vulnerable” from 1990 to 1999, or “Rare” prior to 1990. ** Formerly described as “Not In Any Category”, or “No Designation Required.” *** Formerly described as “Indeterminate” from 1994 to 1999 or “ISIBD” (insufficient scientific information on which to base a designation) prior to 1994. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977 as a result of a recommendation at the Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference held in 1976. It arose from the need for a single, official,