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1 July 2004 RECENT RECORDS OF HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN BARRED OWLS (STRIX VARIA) AND NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS (S. OCCIDENTALIS CAURINA)
Elizabeth G. Kelly, Eric D. Forsman
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Abstract

We summarized records of hybridization between Barred Owls (Strix varia) and Northern Spotted Owls (S. occidentalis caurina) in Washington and Oregon through 1999. A total of 47 hybrids were observed, including 17 F1s that were first detected as adults, 4 F1s that were banded as juveniles and subsequently recaptured as adults, 10 F1 juveniles, and 16 F2 juveniles. All confirmed cases of hybridization between Barred and Spotted owls involved male Spotted Owls paired with female Barred Owls. Ten F1 hybrids that backcrossed with Barred Owls produced a total of 15 young; 6 F1 hybrids that backcrossed with Spotted Owls produced only 1 young. Those differences may indicate that some combinations of sex and species are more compatible or more fertile than others, but more documentation is needed. Because F2 hybrids and subsequent generations are difficult to distinguish in the field from Barred or Spotted owls, genetic comparisons of blood or tissue samples may be needed to identify hybrids beyond the first generation. The small number of F1 hybrids detected during many years of extensive banding studies of Spotted Owls suggests that the isolating mechanisms that separate Barred and Spotted owls are normally sufficient to avoid hybridization between them. Direct competition between the two species for food and space is probably a much more serious threat to the Spotted Owl than hybridization.

Elizabeth G. Kelly and Eric D. Forsman "RECENT RECORDS OF HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN BARRED OWLS (STRIX VARIA) AND NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS (S. OCCIDENTALIS CAURINA)," The Auk 121(3), 806-810, (1 July 2004). https://doi.org/10.1642/0004-8038(2004)121[0806:RROHBB]2.0.CO;2
Received: 14 July 2003; Accepted: 28 March 2004; Published: 1 July 2004
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