Ecology of Boreal Owls in the Northern Rocky Mountains, Usa

Abstract

We studied habitat use by boreal owls (Aegolius funereus) in the northern Rocky Mountains from january through August during 1984-88. Habitat use was examined at several spatial scales. The geographic distribution and range of life zones used by boreal owls were documented in western Montana, Idaho, and northwestern Wyoming. Habitat use, at the level of the home range, and microhabitats used for nesting, roosting, and foraging were observed in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness (RNRW) of central Idaho. Boreal owls inhabited forests within the spruce-fir (Picea spp.-Abies spp.) life zone throughout the mountains of Montana, Idaho, and northern Wyoming