On many summer nights in the Sierra Nevada, a series of hoot, hoot-hoot, hoooooots echo through the dim conifer forest. The source of these eerie hoots and screeches might not be who you expect: U.S. Forest Service biologists, blasting four-note calls from a speaker on loop, are hoping to entice a response from California spotted owls. Their goal is to detect the elusive owls and track their long-term reproductive success, with the hope of better understanding their occupancy of public lands over time. Using other methods like "mousing," biologists can determine if an owl has a mate, or even an owlet, hidden in the dense canopy. 

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Since 2023, the California spotted owl has been in consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act, having been made increasingly vulnerable by habitat loss, fragmentation, and competition with the invasive barred owl (Strix varia). But after two years, the listing remains in limbo—and to many, the owl's future appears grim.

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As more forest habitat is lost each year due to devastating megafires and clear-cutting for timber, the sight of a spotted owl gives us a sense of hope, and reminds us of what we stand to lose.