northern spotted owl
noun
: a rare spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) of old forests on the Pacific coast of North America from northern California to southern British Columbia
Examples of northern spotted owl in a Sentence
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Preserving old-growth forest for a single owl species (to give a classic example) means the forest—and everything living there—suddenly loses protection if that owl goes extinct anyway (as the northern spotted owl very well could).
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Emma Marris,
The Atlantic,
25 May 2025
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Emma Marris,
The Atlantic,
25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Northern spotted owl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northern%20spotted%20owl. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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