At the same time Hoot was being written, a real-life battle to protect another species of owl was being waged in the Tucson area of Arizona. The cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, which grows to less than seven inches in height and weighs less than three ounces, was officially declared an endangered species by the U.S. government in 1997. This decision was based on evidence that the owl, once common in southern Arizona, had begun to rapidly disappear from the area. Arizona marks the northernmost portion of the tiny owl's natural habitat, with the majority of its range found in Central and South America. The pygmy owl is considered an "indicator species," which means that this species is especially sensitive to changes in its environment such as those.....
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