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.

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.

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 Small mammals in diet of the barn owl (Tyto alba) in the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve

2020 ◽  
pp. 72-76
Author(s):  
Zoya Selyunina ◽  
Yuriy Moskalenko
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species

The barn owl (Tyto alba) formerly was one of the rarest vagrant bird species in the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve. Since 2018, this species has been wintering regularly in the Yahorlytskyi Kut division of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve. We studied the barn owl’s diet in the reserve by analysing 20 pellets collected in the winter of 2018. A total of 69 specimens of 5 mammal species were identified from the pellets. Species of small mammals that dominate in open habitats prevail in the barn owl’s diet such as the social vole (Microtus socialis) (dominant species of steppe habitats; 43 % of identifiable small-mammal specimens) and the lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens) (dominant species of salt marsh habitats; 42 % of identifiable small-mammal specimens). Remains of the southern vole (Microtus levis), the Ural field mouse (Sylvaemus cf. uralensis), and the Eurasian pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus) were non-abundant in the barn owl’s diet.

The short-term responses of small mammals to wildfire in semiarid mallee shrubland, Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke T. Kelly ◽  
Dale G. Nimmo ◽  
Lisa M. Spence-Bailey ◽  
Michael F. Clarke ◽  
Andrew F. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Resource Requirements ◽  
Small Mammal Community ◽  
And Function

Context. Wildfire is a major driver of the structure and function of mallee eucalypt- and spinifex-dominated landscapes. Understanding how fire influences the distribution of biota in these fire-prone environments is essential for effective ecological and conservation-based management. Aims. We aimed to (1) determine the effects of an extensive wildfire (118 000 ha) on a small mammal community in the mallee shrublands of semiarid Australia and (2) assess the hypothesis that the fire-response patterns of small mammals can be predicted by their life-history characteristics. Methods. Small-mammal surveys were undertaken concurrently at 26 sites: once before the fire and on four occasions following the fire (including 14 sites that remained unburnt). We documented changes in small-mammal occurrence before and after the fire, and compared burnt and unburnt sites. In addition, key components of vegetation structure were assessed at each site. Key results. Wildfire had a strong influence on vegetation structure and on the occurrence of small mammals. The mallee ningaui, Ningaui yvonneae, a dasyurid marsupial, showed a marked decline in the immediate post-fire environment, corresponding with a reduction in hummock-grass cover in recently burnt vegetation. Species richness of native small mammals was positively associated with unburnt vegetation, although some species showed no clear response to wildfire. Conclusions. Our results are consistent with the contention that mammal responses to fire are associated with their known life-history traits. The species most strongly affected by wildfire, N. yvonneae, has the most specific habitat requirements and restricted life history of the small mammals in the study area. The only species positively associated with recently burnt vegetation, the introduced house mouse, Mus domesticus, has a flexible life history and non-specialised resource requirements. Implications. Maintaining sources for recolonisation after large-scale wildfires will be vital to the conservation of native small mammals in mallee ecosystems.

The use of Barn Owl Tyto alba pellets to assess population change in small mammals

Bird Study ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Meek ◽  
Peter J. Burman ◽  
Tim H. Sparks ◽  
Marek Nowakowski ◽  
Niall J. Burman
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Population Change ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba

scholarly journals Barn owl pellets collected in coastal savannas yield two additional species of small mammals for French Guiana

Mammalia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Baglan ◽  
François Catzeflis
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
French Guiana ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Small Rodents ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Forested Landscapes ◽  
Rare Opportunity ◽  
Owl Pellets

AbstractA sample of 251 pellets regurgitated by the barn owl in an old building located in Sinnamary (French Guiana) provided a rare opportunity to get a preliminary inventory of small rodents and opossums living in grassy savannas along the coastal non-forested landscapes of this Guianan region. From a total of 329 specimens of vertebrate remains, we focused on 259 small rodents and opossums that could be positively identified. Two species previously unknown in French Guiana were evidenced: a very small opossum of the genus

Trends in North American small mammals found in common barn-owl (Tyto alba) dietary studies

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 3093-3102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald R. Clark Jr. ◽  
Christine M. Bunck
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
North American ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Geographic Regions ◽  
Rats And Mice

Data on mammals were compiled from published studies of common barn-owl (Tyto alba) pellets. Mammalian composition of pellet samples was analyzed within geographic regions in regard to year, mean annual precipitation, latitude, and number of individual mammals in the sample. Percentages of individuals in pellets that were shrews increased whereas the percentages of rodents decreased with greater mean annual precipitation, especially in northern and western areas of North America. From the 1920s through 1980s, in northern and eastern areas the percentage of species that was shrews decreased, and in northern and central areas the percentage of individuals that was murid rats and mice increased. Human alterations of habitats during these seven decades are postulated to have caused changes in available small mammals, leading to changes in the barn-owl diet.

Using the diet of the barn owl (Tyto alba) as an indicator of small vertebrate abundance in the Channel Country, south-western Queensland

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C. McDowell ◽  
Graham C. Medlin
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Large Mass ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
Small Vertebrate

The diet of the barn owl (Tyto alba) was determined by analysing pellets and bulk pellet debris found in the ruins of Baryulah Homestead, south-western Queensland. Nine species of mammal, at least eight bird, five reptile and three frog species were identified. The majority of prey consisted of small mammals and was dominated by Mus musculus, which accounted for almost 40 Prey Unit percent (PU%) of all prey. Rattus villosissimus was an important secondary prey species, which, due to its comparatively large mass, contributed 21.79 PU%. Other native mammals were present in low frequency only. Reptiles (primarily geckos) were more abundant than expected, collectively contributing >15 PU%, suggesting that they were an important component of the barn owl’s diet.

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