Half-a-million barred owls are on a kill list in the US. Reason? Their aggressive nature

To fight the imminent threat to native protected owl species, the US wildlife federal agency has laid out a plan to shoot nearly half-a-million barred owls over 30 years. The barred owl, also known as the hoot owl or eight-hooter owl, is a large species of owl and is more aggressive in nature. The plan will kick off as early as 2025.

The species, with its home in the Pacific Northwest on the US East Coast for decades, is outnumbering the owls in the north. The species' numbers across Washington, California, and Oregon have been shrinking. These invasive barred owlsare also gradually displacing native owls from the southern areas.

This comes as part of a draft management plan by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) which is hoping for a mass culling of these species with a wide-variety diet. Plans also include enlisting hunters toachieve the killing of invasive owls over three decades.

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What are the traits of barred owls?

As far as the diet is concerned, these barred owls eat insects, fish, and other birds. In body size, they are bigger and are more competitive in claiming their territories by disrupting the nest of native owls and unleashing attacks on them. With the number of native owls slumping, the US wildlife agency listed them as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

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Reports quoting data show that in the last 20 years, the population of these native species has declined by between 35 per cent and 80 per cent. Over 100,000 barred owls are present in the northern spotted owls' territory across Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.

"Everywhere the spotted owl can live and thrive, barred owls can thrive and do even better," Katherine Fitzgerald, northern spotted owl recovery lead for the FWS, told the Seattle Times. "They are still invading, and they are not done."

What does the plan constitute?

The culling plans will kick off with the culling of 20,000 of the owls in the first year. It will be followed by culling 13,397 birds per year during first decade, 16,303 per year in the second decade, and lastly 17,390 birds peryear in the third decade.Landowners or land managers could apply for a permit to kill. The weapon used will be a large-bore shotgun.

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Many are opposing the plans as well."Are we going to do more harm than good? Do we really want a bunch of people in the woods shooting at what are otherwise protected birds?" Bob Sallinger, executive director of Bird Conservation Oregon, reportedly told the Seattle Times. "I nearly always opposed these sorts of programs," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)