The western screech-owl and habitat alteration in Baja California: a gradient from urban and rural landscapes to natural habitat

Abstract

We studied the western screech-owl (Otus kennicottii) in the desert of the southern Baja California peninsula to determine its status and habitat selection and whether it benefits from moderate human-caused habitat changes. Based on the response to tape-recorded call broadcasts, western screech-owls were more abundant in undisturbed vegetation than in human-altered habitat. In man-made environments, more owls responded in rural than in urban areas; indeed, they were practically absent in urban areas. In natural areas, a total of 1.6 owls/km was estimated in the nonbreeding season and 2.7 owls/km in the breeding season. The most important habitat features selected in natural areas were greater shrub cover in the strata containing shrubs 1–2 and 2–3 m high and greater canopy cover of trees >5 m high. In rural areas adjacent to cultivated areas, owls were present in areas with the greatest cover of shrubs 1–3 m high and a higher density of shrubs. The western screech-owl also occurs at lower densities in rural areas than in natural areas. Towns appear to be avoided in the arid desert of Baja California Sur. Western screech-owls may be still able to persist in rural areas that occupy an intermediate position on the gradient from a functional natural system (desert vegetation) to a completely altered ecological system, urbanized areas.