Geographic variation in the diet of the powerful owl (Ninox strenua) at a local scale

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan J. Bilney
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Forests ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽  
The Common ◽  
Dietary Variation ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps ◽  
Ringtail Possum

This study reports the diet of the powerful owl (Ninox strenua) in East Gippsland, from a dataset of 2009 vertebrate prey items collected from 53 sites. Mammals dominated the diet at all sites, but birds were also consumed regularly. The greater glider (Petauroides volans) was the dominant dietary item across the region in terms of both frequency of consumption and biomass contribution. There was geographical dietary variation between coastal and foothill forest sites, with the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) and birds consumed more frequently in foothill forests, whereas the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) was frequently consumed only in coastal forests. Typically, a higher percentage of powerful owl diet comprised birds closer to cleared land. The dietary reliance upon hollow-dependent mammals in foothill forests (averaging >70%) is of conservation concern, especially when non-hollow-dependent prey are rare. Forest management activities, especially logging, that reduce densities of hollow-bearing trees in the landscape are therefore likely to decrease the long-term carrying capacity of the landscape for the powerful owl.

Does baiting influence the relative composition of the diet of foxes?

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael W. Roberts ◽  
Nick Dexter ◽  
Paul D. Meek ◽  
Matt Hudson ◽  
William A. Buttemer
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Predator Pressure ◽  
Relative Composition ◽  
Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽  
The Common ◽  
Fox Control ◽  
Swamp Wallaby ◽  
Ringtail Possum

The changes in the diet of foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in the Jervis Bay Region was assessed following a long-term baiting program by analysing the composition of fox faecal excreta (scats). In all, 470 fox scats were collected between April and August 2003 from two baited sites, Booderee National Park (BNP) and Beecroft Peninsula, and from two unbaited sites in the southern and northern parts of Jervis Bay National Park (SJBNP and NJBNP respectively). Diet was compared between these sites and mammalian diet was also compared from scats collected before baiting in 1996 and after baiting in 2000 at Beecroft Peninsula and in 2001 at Booderee National Park. In 2003, the most common species consumed by foxes was the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus), except at unbaited NJBNP, where the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) was the most frequent dietary item. Significant dietary differences were found between unbaited and baited sites, with the long-nosed bandicoot (Perameles nasuta) and P. peregrinus featuring more in the diet of foxes from the baited sites. Marked increases in the frequency of occurrence of P. peregrinus and P. nasuta in fox scats occurred from before baiting through to after baiting. Relative fox abundance, as indexed by the number of scats collected per kilometre, was lowest in Booderee, followed by Beecroft, then SJBNP, with NJBNP having the highest relative abundance of foxes. We suggest that baiting did affect the diet of foxes on both peninsulas and that the dietary changes across baiting histories were intrinsically related to an increase in abundance in some taxa as a result of relaxed predator pressure following sustained fox control. However, the lack of unbaited control sites over the whole study precludes a definitive conclusion.

The Diet of the Powerful Owl, Ninox Strenua, in Victoria.

1982 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Tilley
Keyword(s):  
Prey Item ◽  
Regional Variation ◽  
Major Part ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps ◽  
Australian Magpie ◽  
Prey Items ◽  
Ringtail Possum

The diet of the powerful owl was studied, by analysis of regurgitated pellets, at Coranderrk Reserve, Victoria; regional variation in the diet was assessed at 4 other sites: Ironbark Basin Reserve, Point Addis: Gormandale; Beaufort; Philip I. The ringtail possum, Pseudocheirus peregrinus, was the most common prey species. Secondary prey species also formed a major part of the diet. The sugar glider, Petaurus breviceps, was important at Coranderrk Reserve and Gormandale, and the Australian magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen, at Ironbark Basin Reserve and Philip I. At Beaufort, G. tibicen and P. peregrinus were equally preyed on. A marked seasonal variation was found in the diet at Coranderrk Reserve: P. breviceps was the major prey item in autumn and P. peregrinus in winter; a number of other prey species were taken when abundant or easy prey. At Coranderrk the powerful owls were estimated to take one major prey item every 1.4 days or about 260 major prey items each year.

Diet of an inland population of the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eden Hermsen ◽  
Anne Kerle ◽  
Julie M. Old
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Habitat Requirements ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Pine Trees ◽  
Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽  
The Common ◽  
Microhistological Analysis ◽  
Vegetation Samples ◽  
Cypress Pine ◽  
Ringtail Possum

Populations of the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) in inland New South Wales have declined or disappeared. Habitat requirements and diet of these populations are poorly understood. Determining the diet of inland ringtail possums is crucial to understanding the factors limiting their survival, and was the focus of this study. Spotlighting surveys were conducted to locate ringtail possums, and scat and vegetation samples were collected for microhistological analysis. Ringtail possums were most frequently observed in red stringybark followed by bundy box and black cypress pine trees, and this correlated with the most common dietary items consumed.

scholarly journals Effects of logging, fire and drought on possums and gliders in the coastal forests near Bega, NSW

1987 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 263 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lunney
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
New South ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Coastal Forests ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Commercial Species ◽  
Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps

Seven species of possums and gliders were found during a survey in logged coastal forests near Bega, New South Wales. A study of the preferences for the various tree species showed that both commercial and non-commercial species must be retained to support the full range of possum and glider species. Spotlight searches were carried out in 6 adjacent felling areas each autumn from 1981 to 1983. Four species (Petaurus breviceps, P. australis, Petauroides volans and Pseudocheirus peregrinus) were seen frequently enough to determine their habitat preferences. There were significantly fewer possums and gliders in logged areas, with a greater effect on some species, e.g. P. volans, than others, e.g. P. breviceps. Fire rendered the logged areas even less habitable, and drought compounded the effects of logging and fire by further reducing numbers. Deep unlogged gullies were found to be crucial refuges from logging, fire and drought. The primary conclusions are that the current logging operation is causing a significant reduction in numbers, and that gullies need to be redefined to include all drainage lines and to remain unlogged.

Preliminary Microscopic Investigations of the Digesta Derived From Foliage of Eucalyptus-Ovata (Labill) in the Digestive-Tract of the Common Ringtail Possum, Pseudocheirus-Peregrinus (Marsupialia)

1986 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
TP Obrien ◽  
A Lomdahl ◽  
G Sanson
Keyword(s):  
Cell Walls ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
Partial Digestion ◽  
Gut Function ◽  
Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽  
The Common ◽  
Eucalyptus Ovata ◽  
Micro Organisms ◽  
Microscopic Investigations ◽  
Ringtail Possum

A method is described that stabilizes vacuolar tannins in unchewed leaves of Eucalyptus ovata. This method, with light microscopy and electron microscopy, was used to study the fate of digesta in the gut of the common ringtail possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus. Normal animals (fed fresh foliage and practising coprophagy) were compared with animals denied access either to fresh foliage or to soft faecal pellets in the week before they were killed. Both manipulations appear to disturb gut function and create a need for caution in interpreting the observations. Nonetheless the results demonstrate some tanning of leaf cytoplasts in the ringtail possum, but the quantitative significance of the dietary losses so incurred is difficult to estimate. Partial digestion of cell walls and tanned cytoplasts occurs in the caecum, where massive populations of micro-organisms become attached to digestion-resistant tissue components. These 'microbial rafts' are reingested as soft pellets by coprophagy and the bacteria largely digested.

Will arboreal mammals use rope-bridges across a highway in eastern Australia?

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
David Rohweder ◽  
Brendan D. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Camera Traps ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Brushtail Possum ◽  
Squirrel Glider ◽  
Road Crossing ◽  
Ringtail Possum

Artificial structures designed to promote road-crossing by arboreal mammals are increasingly being installed in Australia but there is a limited understanding of their usefulness. We studied five 50–70-m-long rope-bridges (encompassing three designs) erected across the Pacific Highway, a major freeway in eastern Australia. Native arboreal mammals showed a willingness to explore these structures, being detected by camera traps on four rope-bridges. The vulnerable squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) crossed on one rope-bridge at least once every 4.5 weeks over a 32-week period. The feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus), common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) and the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) were detected on one of two rope-bridges that extended under the freeway at creek crossings. The feathertail glider was detected on all three rope-bridge designs. Our results suggest that rope-bridges have the potential to restore habitat connectivity disrupted by roads for some arboreal mammals. Further research is needed to refine the design and placement of rope-bridges as well as to determine whether these structures promote gene flow.

Feeding-Behavior and Diet of the Common Ringtail Possum, Pseudocheirus-Peregrinus, in Eucalyptus Woodlands and Leptospermum Thickets in Southern Victoria

1987 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 487 ◽  
Author(s):  
LI Pahl
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
Species Trees ◽  
Flower Buds ◽  
Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
The Common ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Eucalyptus Maculata ◽  
Ringtail Possum

The foliage of Eucalyptus spp. contributed 61-98% of the annual diet of ringtails at sites dominated by Eucalyptus spp. or prickly teatree, Leptospermum juniperinum. Up to 45% of the Eucalyptus foliage consumed was young, and young foliage was mostly eaten during spring and summer. The remainder of the diet consisted of foliage of several species of shrub and significant proportions of the diet of one population consisted of flowers and/or flower buds of Eucalyptus maculata during winter. The proportion of shrub foliage eaten was generally highest at sites dominated by less preferred Eucalyptus spp., such as E. tereticornis, E. camaldulensis and E. botryoides, compared to sites dominated by the favoured species, E. ovata, E. dives, and E. maculata. Ringtails in thickets of coast teatree, L. laevigatum, fed predominantly on foliage of that species. The proportions of Eucalyptus and shrub foliage eaten by different populations did not appear to be correlated with availability, suggesting that ringtails fed selectively from the foods available. Food selection was practised at four levels: between species, trees, leaves and leaf parts. Partly digested leaf material appeared to have been consumed by pouch young before they had begun to feed on foliage.

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