Killings of invasive owls to ramp up on US West Coast in a bid to save native birds

Associated Press

U.S. wildlife officials next year will scale up efforts to kill invasive barred owls that are crowding out imperiled native owls from West Coast forests. Federal officials said Wednesday they’ve approved a 30-year plan to kill up to 452,000 barred owls in Oregon, California and Washington state. The killings are meant to relieve pressure on declining populations of spotted owls, which are smaller and need larger territories to survive. Researchers say the plan faces challenges from barred owls returning to areas where they’ve been removed. The prospect of killing one bird species to save others has divided wildlife advocates. Government officials say they are trying to save spotted owls from extinction.