U.S. Forest Service layoffs have upended surveys for spotted owls in Southern and Northern California, threatening data collection for the declining birds.

In a bipartisan letter to U.S. Department of Interior, 19 lawmakers asked the agency to halt a plan to kill 450,000 barred owls along the West Coast.

DESCRIPTION: The northern spotted owl is a medium-sized, dark brown owl with a barred tail; white spots on its head, neck, and back; and dark brown eyes surrounded by a large, heart-shaped facial disk ...

There are as few as 3,000 northern spotted owls left on federal lands. The brown raptors with white spots are listed as threatened under the California and federal Endangered Species Act.

Vizzachero carried out legally required efforts to see how projects, including prescribed burning and vegetation clearance, would affect the brown owls with white spots and other species of concern.