Identifying drivers of Barred Owl (Strix varia) occupancy along a gradient of urbanization in a primarily agricultural region

Earth’s landscapes are now overwhelmingly anthropogenic, losing the ability to support a diverse array of wildlife. In regions that have been transformed into intense farmland, little habitat is left to support forest wildlife, leading to dramatic declines in these species. Urban landscapes embedded within these settings contain forested green spaces and accrue trees via planting. Such cities may thus provide key habitat to support forest species. However, few studies have investigated this potential and we currently lack an understanding of how cities in agricultural regions may support biodiversity conservation. We sought to identify habitat characteristics for urban Barred Owls in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, IA, two metropolitan areas surrounded by extensive agricultural row crops. We compiled data to identify tree, urban, and agricultural cover in the study area from existing sources as well as Barred Owl observations from field surveys and used them to build statistical models to identify relationships for this species. We found that urban intensity and cropland cover negatively impact the probability of a Barred Owl occupying a site within our urban areas. However, based on the relatively low urban intensity of our study cities and the expansive, nearly 100% agricultural cover that surrounds them, it is likely that these urban areas provide suitable habitat for the Barred Owl, especially when compared to the highly unsuitable agricultural surroundings. These results suggest that urban areas in regions of intensive agriculture could act as sites of Barred Owl conservation.