Analysis of mammal remains from owl pellets (Tyto alba), in a suburban area in Baja California

2004 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Ticul Álvarez-Castañeda ◽  
Natali Cárdenas ◽  
Lia Méndez
Keyword(s):  
Baja California ◽  
Suburban Area ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Owl Pellets

An attempt to determine the size of the Common Barn-owl’s (Tyto alba) hunting area based on its prey composition

2021 ◽  
pp. 175815592110660
Author(s):  
Jenő J Purger ◽  
Dávid Szép
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Prey Composition ◽  
Small Mammal Species ◽  
Owl Pellets

The relative abundance of small mammal species detected from Common Barn-owl pellets reflects the landscape structure and habitat pattern of the owl’s hunting area, but it is also affected by the size of the collected pellet sample and the size of the supposed hunting area. The questions arise: how many pellets should be collected and analyzed as well as how large hunting area should be taken into consideration in order to reach the best correspondence between the owl’s prey composition and the distribution of habitats preferred by small mammals preyed in supposed hunting areas? For this study, we collected 1045 Common Barn-owl pellets in a village in southern Hungary. All detected small mammal species were classified into functional groups (guilds) preferring urban, open, forest and wetland habitats. The proportion of functional groups was compared to the proportion of these habitats around the pellet collection site within circles of one, two, and three km radius. Saturation curves showed that at least 300 pellets or ca. 600 mammalian remains are required for the detection of the 19 small mammal species. The share of small mammals detected in the prey and their functional groups according to their habitat preference showed an increasing consistency with the distribution of real habitats in the potential hunting area of a radius of 3 km around the owl’s breeding or resting place.

Diet of the Barn Owl, Tyto-Alba, in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 611 ◽  
Author(s):  
JDB Smith ◽  
J Cole
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Prey Biomass ◽  
Large Fluctuations ◽  
Prey Items ◽  
Owl Pellets

The diet of the barn owl was determined by analysing egested pellets collected from the Tanami Desert. These data were also used to examine the distribution of small mammals in the region. Rodents were the dominant prey items, forming more than 74% of prey biomass in all samples. The dominant rodent species were those that undergo large fluctuations in population size. Notomys alexis was the dominant prey item in 15 of the 17 samples. In all samples, one or two species of rodents formed 47-100% of prey biomass. Dasyurids were relatively minor prey items, forming less than 12% of prey biomass in all samples. It is suggested that this is a reflection of their abundance relative to rodents. Bats, birds, lizards and insects combined formed less than 14% of prey biomass in all but one sample (24%). Behavioural and life-history characteristics of prey appear to affect their susceptibility to predation. The analysis of pellets proved to be a useful supplementary technique to conventional methods of surveying small mammals. All species of small mammal that could be expected were identified in owl pellets. Notomys amplus was recorded in pellets but not collected by conventional techniques.

scholarly journals Barn owl (Tyto alba) predation on small mammals and its role in the control of hantavirus natural reservoirs in a periurban area in southeastern Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 733-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Magrini ◽  
KG. Facure
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Rodent Species ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Hantavirus Infection ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Food Items ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Hantavirus Reservoir ◽  
Owl Pellets

The aim of this study was to inventory the species of small mammals in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, based on regurgitated pellets of the barn owl and to compare the frequency of rodent species in the diet and in the environment. Since in the region there is a high incidence of hantavirus infection, we also evaluate the importance of the barn owl in the control of rodents that transmit the hantavirus. Data on richness and relative abundance of rodents in the municipality were provided by the Centro de Controle de Zoonoses, from three half-yearly samplings with live traps. In total, 736 food items were found from the analysis of 214 pellets and fragments. Mammals corresponded to 86.0% of food items and were represented by one species of marsupial (Gracilinanus agilis) and seven species of rodents, with Calomys tener (70.9%) and Necromys lasiurus (6.7%) being the most frequent. The proportion of rodent species in barn owl pellets differed from that observed in trap samplings, with Calomys expulsus, C. tener and Oligoryzomys nigripes being consumed more frequently than expected. Although restricted to a single place and based on few individuals, the present study allowed the inventory of eight species of small mammals in Uberlândia. The comparison of the relative frequencies of rodent species in the diet and in the environment indicated selectivity. The second most preyed upon species was N. lasiurus, the main hantavirus reservoir in the Cerrado biome. In this way, the barn owl might play an important role in the control of this rodent in the region, contributing to the avoidance of a higher number of cases of hantavirus infection.

scholarly journals Kisemlősök faunisztikai felmérése Somogy megye északkeleti részén, gyöngybagoly Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) köpetek vizsgálata alapján

2013 ◽  
pp. 81-90
Author(s):  
J. Jenő Purger
Keyword(s):  
Rattus Norvegicus ◽  
Sorex Araneus ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Arvicola Amphibius ◽  
Eptesicus Serotinus ◽  
Micromys Minutus ◽  
Muscardinus Avellanarius ◽  
Owl Pellets

Pellets were collected between 1999 and 2009, from 20 localities (investigated area: BT80, BS79, BS78, BS77, BS89 and BS88, according to 10×10 km UTM grids). In a total of 1570 Barn Owl pellets there were 4127 prey rem-nants. Small mammals were dominating (97.8%). 22 mammal species were evidented: Crocidura leucodon, C. suaveolens, Sorex araneus, S. minutus, Neomys anomalus, Talpa euro-paea, Eptesicus serotinus, Muscardinus avellanarius, Microtus agrestis, M. arvalis, M. oeconomus, M. subterraneus, Arvicola amphibius, Myodes glareolus, Apodemus agrarius, A. flavicol-lis, A. sylvaticus, A. uralensis, Micromys minutus, Mus mus-culus, M. spicilegus, Rattus norvegicus). Remnants of birds, amphibians and insects consisted 2.2 % of total prey.

scholarly journals Adatok Somogy megye kisemlős fajainak elterjedéséhez, gyöngybagoly Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) köpetek vizsgálata alapján

2016 ◽  
pp. 91-108
Author(s):  
Jenő Purger J.
Keyword(s):  
Sorex Araneus ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Arvicola Amphibius ◽  
Nyctalus Leisleri ◽  
Talpa Europaea ◽  
Mustela Nivalis ◽  
Barn Owls ◽  
Owl Pellets

Pellets were collected between 1995 and 2016, from 53 localities (investigated area: XL89, XL99, YL08, YL09, XM52, XM61, XM62, XM70, XM72, XM74, XM80, XM81, XM82, XM83, XM84, XM90, XM91, XM93, XM95, YM02, YM03, YM12, YM13, YM14, YM22, YM23, YM24 and BS73, according to 10×10 km UTM grids). In a total of 5164 Barn Owl pellets 14360 prey remnants were found. In the diet of Barn Owls small mammals dominated (98.6%). From the prey items the presence of 27 mammal species (Croci-dura leucodon, C. suaveolens, Sorex araneus, S. minutus, Neomys anomalus, N. fodiens, Talpa europaea, Eptesi-cus serotinus, Nyctalus leisleri, N. noctula, Myotis myotis, Muscardinus avellanarius, Microtus agrestis, M. arvalis, M. subterraneus, Arvicola amphibius, Myodes glareolus, Apo-demus agrarius, A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus, A. uralensis, Micromys minutus, Mus musculus, M. spicilegus, Rattus norvegicus, R. rattus, Mustela nivalis) was confirmed. Rem-nants of birds, amphibians and insects made up only 1.4% of total prey.

scholarly journals Kisemlősök faunisztikai felmérése Külső-Somogy északnyugati részén, gyöngybagoly Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) köpetek vizsgálata alapján

2014 ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
J. Jenő Purger J.
Keyword(s):  
Rattus Norvegicus ◽  
Sorex Araneus ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Talpa Europaea ◽  
Eptesicus Serotinus ◽  
Micromys Minutus ◽  
Muscardinus Avellanarius ◽  
Owl Pellets

Barn Owl pellets were collected between 1999 and 2014, from 11 localities (investigated area: YM07, YM18, YM27 and YM29, according to 10×10 km UTM grids). In a total of 1313 pellets there were 3630 prey remnants. Small mammals were dominating (98.4%). We documented occur-rence of 25 mammal species: Crocidura leucodon, C. sua-veolens, Sorex araneus, S. minutus, Neomys anomalus, N. fodiens, Talpa europaea, Eptesicus serotinus,Pipistrellus na-thusii, Muscardinus avellanarius, Glis glis, Microtus agrestis, M. arvalis, M. oeconomus, M. subterraneus, Arvicola amphi-bius, Myodes glareolus, Apodemus agrarius, A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus, A. uralensis, Micromys minutus, Mus musculus, M. spicilegus, Rattus norvegicus). Remnants of birds and am-phibians consisted 1.6% of total prey.

scholarly journals Vertebrados post-glaciales en un residuario fósil de Tyto alba scopoli (Aves: Tytonidae) en el occidente de

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osvaldo Jiménez Vázquez ◽  
Marjorie M. Condis ◽  
Elvis García Cancio
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Moist Forest ◽  
Owl Pellets

Resumen: Se estudió un depósito fosilífero cavernario localizado en el occidente de Cuba y constituido por regurgitaciones de estrígidas. Este depósito fue el resultado de la actividad trófica de la lechuza (Tyto alba), la cual depredó anfibios, reptiles, aves y mamíferos, y fue fechado entre el Holoceno Temprano a Medio (C 14 -7 864 ± 96 años AP). Este estudio mostró una panorámica de la fauna antigua procedente de paisajes terrestres con bosques húmedos en sabanas, con posterioridad a la culminación de la última fase árida del Pleistoceno-Holoceno.    Palabras clave: Paleontología; Tafonomía, Tyto alba, Regurgitaciones, Pleistoceno-Holoceno, Cuba. Abstract: A cave fossiliferous deposit formed for barn owl pellets in western part of Cuba are studied. This were results barn owl (Tyto alba) predation on amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals and are dated in Early-Middle Holocene (C 14 -7 864 ± 96 years BP). These studies show an ancient faunal picture from terrestrial landscapes with moist forest in savannas after last Pleistocene-Holocene arid period. Key  words: Paleontology, Tafonomy, Tyto alba, ,Regurgitations, Pleistocene-Holocene.

scholarly journals European Hamster at the edge: declining in nature and rare in owl pellets

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-73
Author(s):  
Jenő J. Purger ◽  
Kornélia Kurucz ◽  
Dávid Szép ◽  
Dragica Purger ◽  
Boris Kryštufek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Isolated Population ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
The South ◽  
Cricetus Cricetus ◽  
Recent Information ◽  
Conservation Authorities ◽  
Prey Remains ◽  
Owl Pellets

AbstractOver the last decades, the European Hamster (Cricetus cricetus) has been declining in many parts of its European range. Due to the lack of recent information on the occurrence and status of the European Hamster in the south-western Carpathian Basin west of the Danube, we used information gathered from prey remains in Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba) pellets. In spite of considerable sampling effort, we retrieved only few hamster remnants. Two skulls were found in Podolje (Croatia) in 2007 and 2016, respectively. Further five hamsters were retrieved from pellets collected in 2017, 11 km to the northwest in Udvar (Hungary). In Sátorhely, 5 km north from Udvar, one roadkill male was found on 27.07.2019. Testimonies from local inhabitants confirmed the current presence of the European Hamster in the area. Our results suggest the presence of a small isolated population in the border area of Croatia (UTM 10 km grid square CR27) and Hungary (CR18, CR19). This small isolated population is on the south-western limit of the range of the species. We presume that the population requires conservation attention because of its isolated position at the edge of the species’ range, its small size and low abundance. We call for a transboundary action by nature conservation authorities in Croatia and Hungary.

scholarly journals Vertebrados post-glaciales en un residuario fósil de Tyto alba scopoli (Aves: Tytonidae) en el occidente de

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Osvaldo Jiménez Vázquez ◽  
Marjorie M. Condis ◽  
Elvis García Cancio
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Moist Forest ◽  
Owl Pellets

Resumen: Se estudió un depósito fosilífero cavernario localizado en el occidente de Cuba y constituido por regurgitaciones de estrígidas. Este depósito fue el resultado de la actividad trófica de la lechuza (Tyto alba), la cual depredó anfibios, reptiles, aves y mamíferos, y fue fechado entre el Holoceno Temprano a Medio (C 14 -7 864 ± 96 años AP). Este estudio mostró una panorámica de la fauna antigua procedente de paisajes terrestres con bosques húmedos en sabanas, con posterioridad a la culminación de la última fase árida del Pleistoceno-Holoceno.    Palabras clave: Paleontología; Tafonomía, Tyto alba, Regurgitaciones, Pleistoceno-Holoceno, Cuba. Abstract: A cave fossiliferous deposit formed for barn owl pellets in western part of Cuba are studied. This were results barn owl (Tyto alba) predation on amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals and are dated in Early-Middle Holocene (C 14 -7 864 ± 96 years BP). These studies show an ancient faunal picture from terrestrial landscapes with moist forest in savannas after last Pleistocene-Holocene arid period. Key  words: Paleontology, Tafonomy, Tyto alba, ,Regurgitations, Pleistocene-Holocene.

Taphonomic investigations of owl pellets

Paleobiology ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Dodson ◽  
Diane Wexlar
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Bone Destruction ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Bubo Virginianus ◽  
Caudal Portion ◽  
Barn Owls ◽  
Small Bones ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Owl Pellets

Owls are important consumers of small vertebrates, and because they regurgitate pellets rich in bone, they may be important potential contributors of the concentrated remains of small vertebrates to the fossil record. Owls of three sizes, the large great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), the medium-sized barn owl (Tyto alba), and the small screech owl (Otus asio), were fed a common diet of mice. The bony contents of the pellets were analyzed to determine the amount of bone loss by digestion, bone completeness, and sites of bone breakage. For all three species, only about half the number of bones ingested were recovered in the pellets. Mandibles and femora were most abundant, and pelves and scapulae were the least abundant. Screech owls broke 80% of the cranial and limb elements, barn owls only 30%. Skulls fared poorly in great horned and screech owl pellets, while barn owls returned 80% of the skulls intact, with only the caudal portion of the cranium damaged; barn owls also returned articulated strings of vertebrae and complete paws. These results provide a baseline for the recognition of owls as agents of accumulation of small bones in the fossil record and suggest that the actions of ancient predators may be revealed by species-specific patterns of bone destruction of an assemblage of fossil prey species.

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