scholarly journals The prey composition of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) with respect to landscape structure of its hunting area (Zala County, Hungary)

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-64
Author(s):  
Dávid Szép ◽  
Ákos Klein ◽  
Jenő J. Purger
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Prey Composition ◽  
Barn Owls ◽  
Landscape Patches ◽  
Small Mammal Species

Abstract The prey composition of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) can be monitored indirectly by pellet analysis and we used this method to investigate less known small mammal species of Zala County. The number and abundance of small mammal species depend on the structure of the landscape of Barn Owls’ hunting area, therefore we analysed landscape features in the surrounding circles with 2 km radius around the sampling sites. In 2016 we collected 1106 pellets from 13 sampling localities. From the pellets we identified 21 species of 3022 individuals of small mammals (more than 98% of prey). Among the 21 species there was the rare Parti-colured Bat (Vespertilio murinus) and a new species for the county the Steppe Mouse (Mus spicilegus). Positive correlation was found between the diversity of the small mammal fauna of each sampling site and the landscape complexity (number of the landscape patches) of the Barn Owl hunting area. Relative abundance of the Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) showed positive correlation with the number of landscape patches, while the abundance of the Lesser White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura suaveolens), the Miller’s Water Shrew (Neomys anomalus), the Striped Field Mouse (Apodemus agrarius) and the Harvest Mouse (Micromys minutus) was higher in hunting areas with more homogenous landscapes. Significant correlations were found between the relative abundance of some small mammal species and the landscape structure of the potential hunting area of owls that confirmed the consistency in habitat preference of some species. Our results proved that the prey-composition of Barn Owls reflects the land use through the distribution and abundance of small mammal species, therefore this method is suitable for ecological analyses of landscape.

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.

A long-term study of food-niche dynamics in the Common Barn-Owl: comparisons within and between populations

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (8) ◽  
pp. 1803-1812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl D. Marti
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammal ◽  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Niche Differences ◽  
Niche Dynamics ◽  
Food Niche ◽  
Small Mammal Species

Food niches of Common Barn-Owl (Tyto alba) populations were studied for 8 years in Utah and Idaho. Small mammals dominated the diet as they do in most parts of the barn-owl's range. Mean prey weight was nearly identical between the two owl populations. Food-niche breadth, though, was significantly broader in Idaho than in Utah. Food-niche breadth was also more variable in Idaho than in Utah both within and between years. Voles (Microtus spp.) were predominant prey for both owl populations and were the only prey whose numeric variation in the diet significantly affected mean prey weight and food-niche breadth. Vegetative composition was less varied and more uniformly favorable to voles in Utah. The Idaho area contained a smaller poportion of good vole habitat but had a greater diversity of vegetation including deserts suitable for small mammal species not found in the Utah study area. These vegetative differences and their effects on small mammal species diversity and density were the most apparent causes of food-niche differences between the two owl populations.

scholarly journals Investigating the relationship between the prey composition of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) and the habitat structure of their hunting range in the Marcal Basin (Hungary), based on pellet analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-43
Author(s):  
Dávid Szép ◽  
Ákos Klein ◽  
Jenő J. Purger
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Prey Composition ◽  
Small Mammal Species ◽  
Wetland Habitats ◽  
Prey Items

Abstract Little was known about the small mammal fauna of the Marcal Basin to date, therefore we collected 1,144 Barn Owl pellets from 15 locations in 2017. After the analysis of the pellets, remnants of 3,063 prey items were identified, of which 97.5% were small mammals, belonging to 21 species, while the remaining 2.5% were birds, frogs and insects. Mammal prey items consisted of Cricetidae 41%, Muridae 31% and Soricidae 28%, and in some samples, we found the remnants of European Mole (Talpa europaea), Kuhl’s Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii), Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) and Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis). Small mammal species were classified into four functional groups based on their preferences for urban, open, forest or wetland habitats. We investigated whether their relative abundances match with the proportions of the four habitat types in the assumed Barn Owl hunting ranges (cca. 2 km radius circle) in five sample sites. The relative abundance of small mammal species preferring urban habitats showed concordance with the proportion of the appropriate habitat types in the hunting area in two samples, while such concordance was proved for species favouring open, forest and wetland habitats just in one out of five samples. Small mammal functional groups represented in the prey composition do not directly correspond to the proportion of their typical habitats. We conclude that the abundance of various prey types is not suitable for characterising the landscape within the Barn Owl’s hunting range.

scholarly journals Nidicolous beetle species richness is driven by Barn Owl’s nests occupancy and landscape structure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivien Cosandey ◽  
Robin Séchaud ◽  
Paul Béziers ◽  
Yannick Chittaro ◽  
Andreas Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Arthropod Community ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Nest Material ◽  
Crop Fields ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Bird Droppings ◽  
Barn Owls

AbstractBird nests are specialized habitats because of their particular composition including nest detritus and bird droppings. In consequence, they attract a specialized arthropod community considered as nidicolous, which includes species only found in bird nests (strictly nidicolous) or sometimes found in bird nests (facultatively nidicolous). Because the factors influencing the entomofauna in bird nests are poorly understood, in autumn 2019, we collected nest material in 86 Barn Owl (Tyto alba) nest boxes. We investigated whether the invertebrate species richness was related to Barn Owl nest box occupancy, the density of available nest boxes and the landscape structure. We found 3,321 nidicolous beetle specimens belonging to 24 species. Species richness of strictly nidicolous beetles was 2.7 times higher in nest boxes occupied by a family of Barn Owls the previous spring compared to unoccupied nest boxes. It was also higher in sites that were more often occupied by Barn Owls in the five previous years and in areas surrounded by a higher proportion of crop fields. For facultatively nidicolous beetles, the density of Barn Owl nest boxes enhanced the species richness. In conclusion, our study suggests that the strictly nidicolous beetles benefit from occupied nest boxes of Barn Owls, whereas facultatively nidicolous beetles look for nest boxes independently of whether Barn Owls occupy them. Our study highlights the importance of bird nests for a suite of invertebrates.

Diets of native and introduced apex predators in Hawai'i

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Carolyn S. Mostello ◽  
Sheila Conant
Keyword(s):  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Arthropod Species ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Asio Flammeus ◽  
Barn Owls

We report here on the diets of four apex predators in Hawai‘i: the native pueo or Hawaiian short-eared owl (Asio flammeus sandwichensis) and three introduced species, the barn owl (Tyto alba pratincola), the feral cat (Felis catus) and the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus). To better understand dietary relationships between these predators, we studied diet, focusing on areas where they occur together. We collected disgorged owl pellets, and cat and mongoose faecal scats from eight areas located on five of the main Hawaiian Islands and identified prey items to the lowest possible taxonomic level. All species consumed rodents, birds, and arthropods, and the mammal species also included plants in their diets. The two owl species and the cat preyed primarily on rodents, whereas small cockroaches predominated in the diet of the mongoose. Diets of the owl species and the cat, but not the mongoose, varied significantly between areas. Dietary overlap was highest between the pueo and the barn owl and lowest between the owl species and the mongoose. Although barn owls took more rats than pueo, there was no evidence that the two owl species partitioned house mouse prey by size. On islands where there are no mongoose, both owls took a greater proportion of large arthropods in their diet, suggesting that mongoose reduced the abundance of the arthropod species that owls commonly took. There was no significant difference in pueo diets before and after introduction of the barn owl.

scholarly journals Habitat associations of small mammals in southern Brazil and use of regurgitated pellets of birds of prey for inventorying a local fauna

2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 619-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
DR. Scheibler ◽  
AU. Christoff
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Barn Owls

We inventoried terrestrial small mammals in an agricultural area in southern Brazil by using trapping and prey consumed by Barn Owls (Tyto alba) and White-tailed Kites (Elanus leucurus). Small mammals were trapped in three habitat types: corn fields, uncultivated fields ("capoeiras"), and native forest fragments. A total of 1,975 small mammal specimens were trapped, another 2,062 identified from the diet of Barn Owls, and 2,066 from the diet of White-tailed Kites. Both trapping and prey in the predators' diet yielded 18 small mammal species: three marsupials (Didelphis albiventris, Gracilinanus agilis, and Monodelphis dimidiata) and 15 rodents (Akodon paranaensis, Bruceppatersonius iheringi, Calomys sp., Cavia aperea, Euryzygomatomys spinosus, Holochilus brasiliensis, Mus musculus, Necromys lasiurus, Nectomys squamipes, Oligoryzomys nigripes, Oryzomys angouya, Oxymycterus sp.1, Oxymycterus sp.2, Rattus norvegicus, and Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758)). The greatest richness was found in the uncultivated habitat. We concluded that the three methods studied for inventorying small mammals (prey in the diet of Barn Owls, White-tailed Kites, and trapping) were complementary, since together, rather than separately, they produced a better picture of local richness.

Habitat associations of small mammals in farmed landscapes: implications for agri-environmental schemes

2007 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvador Peris ◽  
Carlos Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Common Vole ◽  
Wood Mouse ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Mus Spretus ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Eastern Area ◽  
Small Mammal Species

AbstractThe small mammal community in 21 localities of north-western Spain was evaluated in the light of land use composition. The two geomorphologic categories characterising the study area, the main use of the land (arable/pastoral) and main crop types of each sampling locality were used as potential predictors of the relative abundance of five common small mammal species. The Common vole, Microtus arvalis showed a weak relationship with land uses, probably due to the recent colonisation process this species experienced in the study area. The relative abundance of the Algerian mouse, Mus spretus and the Lusitanian pine vole, Microtus lusitanicus was best explained by models built at the broadest regional scale, the former being more abundant in the eastern area, the latter in the western area. The Greater white-toothed shrew, Crocidura russula showed a positive relationship with grassland coverage, whilst the Wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus benefited from increasing proportions of fallow lands within the landscape. These two species are then expected to respond positively to those agri-environmental schemes including the increase of fallows and grassy vegetation within the arable landscape (EU recommendations). However, further efforts are needed to predict, at least qualitatively, the response of other small mammal species to the changing farmed landscape. This is especially true for two endemic species occurring at this area: the Cabrera vole, Microtus cabrerae and the Lusitanian pine vole, and for which this kind of information is almost absent.

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.

scholarly journals Short-Term Fire Effects on Small Mammal Populations and Vegetation of the Northern Chihuahuan Desert

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony J. Monasmith ◽  
Stephen Demarais ◽  
J. Jeffrey Root ◽  
Carlton M. Britton
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Chihuahuan Desert ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Kangaroo Rats ◽  
One Year ◽  
Small Mammal Species

Fire is an important ecological factor in semidesert grass-shrub community dynamics, but there is a lack of designed field experiments documenting effects on vegetation and small mammals. We document effects of June prescribed fire on vegetation and small mammals on 20, 25-ha study areas in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert of Southern New Mexico, USA one month and one year posttreatment. Canopy cover of shrubs and grasses recovered to 68 and 27% of the preburn canopy cover, respectively, after one year. Prescribed burns during June enhanced short-term forb production by reducing competition from grasses and shrubs. Thirty thousand trap-nights yielded 1744 captures of 766 individuals of 15 small mammal species. Burns did not affect small mammal species richness and species diversity. Relative abundance of Merriam's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys merriami) was 91% greater on burned sites than on control sites one year postburn. Silky pocket mouse (Perognathus flavus) relative abundance was 221% greater on burned sites one year postburn. Chihuahuan Desert pocket mice (Chaetodipus eremicus) responded negatively to the fire, with relative abundance 170% greater on control sites (). Burning produced short-term benefits for two heteromyids, Merriam's kangaroo rats and silky pocket mice.

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