One of the most common species of owls in California, if not the world, today was named the 2010 Audubon California Bird of the Year after it received nearly 70 percent of votes cast during an online poll this fall. With its distinctive white face, the Barn Owl is known to frequent agricultural lands, suburban and urban neighborhoods and lightly forested foothills. While the species is not at risk in the broader sense, some local populations have experienced sharp declines due to the removal of breeding habitat and other threats such as a large number hit by vehicles.
The Barn Owl is a fascinating bird, well deserving of this recognition, and we’re not surprised to see so many people rally behind it. It is also a species that strikes a delicate balance with human activity, which makes it very much on the minds of conservationists.
Nearly 20,000 votes were cast in Audubon California’s online poll, which began in early November. Voters had the choice of selecting one of six birds nominated by the Audubon California Board of Directors, or writing in their own candidate. Nearly 70 percent of voters wrote in the Barn Owl, making it the clear winner. Owls were popular this year, as the second place bird was the Great Gray Owl, at 7 percent. The Western Snowy Plover came in third place, with 5 percent of the vote.
Key to the write-in effort for the Barn Owl were communities of bird enthusiasts that have been watching the species live on popular webcams – among which are a popular webcam in San Marcos and the Audubon Starr Ranch webcam in Orange County.
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