Diet of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) (Strigiformes: Tytonidae) in the Saharan Touggourt Area (Algeria)

Acta Zoológica Lilloana ◽

10.30550/j.azl/2020.64.1/3 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 30-42

Author(s):

Moussa Hadjoudj ◽

Mohammed Lamine Benhaddya ◽

Karim Souttou ◽

Salaheddine Doumandji

Keyword(s):

Diet Composition ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Desert Area ◽

Absolute Abundance

The Barn Owl, Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769), is a nocturnal raptor species. Their diet includes small vertebrates, mainly rodents, and birds. To study their feeding in the desert area of Touggourt, we collected 153 pellets at the Ranou palm grove. We found 468 specimens belonging to 62 species. In terms of abundance, the item more consumed was Rodents (35.9%) followed by Insects (35.2%) and Birds (10.7%). In terms of absolute abundance, the prey more consumed was Brachytrypes megacephalus (21.4 %), followed by an undetermined Lacertidae species (9.2%) and Gerbillus nanus (8.8%). In terms of biomass, rodents contributed more to the diet of Tyto alba (44.66%) than birds (34.3%) and reptiles (12.06%). The highest value of biomass corresponded to Streptopelia sp. (15.7%), followed by Rattus rattus (14.1%) and an undetermined Lacertidae species (11.8%). To our knowledge, this is the first assess- ment of the diet composition of Tyto alba in the Saharan Touggourt area.

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Variation in the diet and breeding biology of the Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba) in a demographic cycle of Common Vole (Microtus arvalis) between two outbreaks

Ornis Hungarica ◽

10.2478/orhu-2020-0016 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 37-65

Author(s):

Adrienn Horváth ◽

László Bank ◽

Győző F. Horváth

Keyword(s):

Clutch Size ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Common Vole ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Early Spring ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Microtus Arvalis ◽

Breeding Parameters ◽

The Common

AbstractIn the present study, we analysed the variation of breeding parameters and the diet composition of the Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba) in three different demographic phases of the Common Vole (Microtus arvalis) in a complete population cycle between two outbreaks. The study was conducted in the south-eastern part of the Transdanubian region in South Hungary. For the analysis, we used data of 81 randomly selected first clutches from 2015 to 2019, a time period which represented a full demographic cycle of the Common Vole after the 2014 outbreak with an exceptionally high peak. We tested the impact of prey abundance and diversity of diet composition as continuous predictors as well as the demographic phase of Common Vole and the mesoregion as categorical explanatory variables on the measured reproductive outputs as response variables using Generalized Linear Models (GLM). Considering the breeding parameters, the number of fledglings, and fledging and reproductive success were significantly higher in the increase phase than during the vole crash phase. Based on GLM models, our results demonstrated that the clutch size of the Common Barn-owl is determined ultimately by the availability and consumption rate of the Common Vole as main prey, while other small mammal prey categories did not affect the clutch size. These results support the finding that the clutch size of vole-eating raptors and owls, which begin breeding periods in early spring predicts the vole abundance in this early spring period. Considering the other investigated small mammal prey groups, the alternative prey role was confirmed only in case of the Murid rodent prey categories (Apodemus spp., Muridae).

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Food of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in the Eastern Mediterranean

Slovak Raptor Journal ◽

10.2478/v10262-012-0032-4 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 41-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Ján Obuch ◽

Petr Benda

Keyword(s):

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Passer Domesticus ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Complex Evaluation ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Meriones Tristrami ◽

Sample Set ◽

Prey Items

Food of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in the Eastern Mediterranean The composition of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) diet analysed from pellets collected in several regions of the Eastern Mediterranean is presented. In total, 27 samples from 21 sites in S Italy, S Greece (incl. Crete), S Turkey, NW Syria, SW Lebanon, N Israel, and N Egypt were composed of 8842 prey individuals. Mammals represented the dominant part of the prey (90% of the identified prey individuals, comprising 44 species). Birds were less abundant (7%), however, their diversity was enormous (64 species). Amphibians and reptiles were rarely represented in the diet (0.9%), while invertebrates we found more often (2.2%). The relative abundance of particular prey items in the Barn Owl diet was analysed in four geographical regions: (a) SE Europe (Calabria, Peloponnese, Crete), (b) Levantine parts of Turkey and Syria, (c) Lebanon and N Israel, and (d) N Egypt. In complex evaluation of the sample set, endemic forms composed a special group of prey items: Microtus savii, Sorex samniticus, and Talpa romana in Calabria; Microtus thomasi in Peloponnese; Acomys minous in Crete; and Gerbillus amoenus in Egypt. Another group of prey is represented by typical Levantine species: Microtus guentheri, Meriones tristrami, Apodemus mystacinus, and Rana ridibunda. Apodemus flavicollis and Crocidura leucodon were more abundant in Calabria while less abundant in the Levant. Synanthropic mammals (Mus spp., Rattus rattus, Suncus etruscus, Crocidura suaveolens) and birds (Passer domesticus) represented a significant part of the diet in the majority of the studied area.

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The diet, and pellet residue taphonomy, of Barn Owls Tyto alba on a Greek island reveals an exceptional diversity of avian prey

Acrocephalus ◽

10.2478/acro-2020-0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (184-185) ◽

pp. 3-24

Author(s):

Anthony S. Cheke ◽

Julian P. Hume

Keyword(s):

Mus Musculus ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Bird Species ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Dung Beetles ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Resident Species ◽

Barn Owls ◽

Species Proportions ◽

Greek Island

Abstract Barn Owl Tyto alba pellets and loose bones on a cave floor from Amorgos (Cyclades, Greece) were examined and the birds found to have caught at least 39 species of bird, mostly identified from humeri, plus shrews Crocidura suaveolens, a few lizards and dung beetles, in addition to their principal diet of rodents (rats Rattus rattus, mice Apodemus spp. & Mus musculus). Amongst the birds, migrants appeared most vulnerable to owl predation, with some notable exceptions, while resident species were under-represented. The range of bird species found appears to be the largest recorded for any Barn Owl study of a single site. Considerable differences were found in species proportions of taxa in fresh pellets and in loose bones, probably due to differential rates of degradation. Photographs of all humeri are included to aid identification in other studies.

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A contribution to the knowledge of diet composition of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in the area of Pisa (Italy)

Acrocephalus ◽

10.1515/acro-2018-0012 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 39 (178-179) ◽

pp. 171-176

Author(s):

Tjaša Zagoršek

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Prey Species ◽

Prey Size ◽

Wood Mouse ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Adult Rat ◽

Upper Limit ◽

Hunting Strategy

Abstract We examined the pellets of the Barn Owl Tyto alba, collected in Pisa, Italy, in 2012. Altogether, 219 specimens of small mammals were found in 85 pellets. The Barn Owl diet was composed of ten species of small mammals, representing three different families (Muridae, Cricetidae, Soricidae). The main prey species was the Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus, followed by the House Mouse Mus musculus and the Savi’s Pine Vole Microtus savii. While the smallest of the small mammals from the area, the Etruscan Shrew Suncus etruscus, was well represented in the pellets, some larger species of small mammals were not represented at all. The reason for such result may lie in the upper limit for our Barn Owl’s prey size. Results suggest that optimal prey weight for our Barn Owl may be between 26–75 g of body mass, however, the prey can be occasionally as heavy as almost 100 g, represented by adult Rat Rattus spp. Nevertheless, our results may not reflect the true hunting strategy of the Barn Owl, but the availability of a certain food item at one point in time.

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Diet Comparison Between Two Sympatric Owls—Tyto Alba and Asio Otus—in the Negev Desert, Israel

Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1560/ijee.56.2.207 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 207-216 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Zohar Leader ◽

Yoram Yom-Tov ◽

Uzi Motro

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Arid Region ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Barn Owl ◽

The Other ◽

Negev Desert ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Seasonal Differences

We studied the diets of the barn owl Tyto alba and the long-eared owl Asio otus in an arid region in the northern and central Negev Desert, Israel. The diet of the two owl species consisted mainly of small mammals, but the long-eared owl consumed a significantly larger proportion of birds in all seasons than did the barn owl. Seasonal differences in the proportion of birds in the diet of the long-eared owl were mainly due to the consumption of migratory birds. Diet composition of each of the two species resembled more the diet of its conspecifics from other locations in that region and other seasons rather than that of the other species from the same location or season. This indicates that these two owl species do not consume prey in proportion to its availability, but prefer certain types of prey over others.

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Food-niche pattern of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in intensively cultivated agricultural landscape

Ornis Hungarica ◽

10.1515/orhu-2018-0002 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 27-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Adrienn Horváth ◽

Anita Morvai ◽

Győző F. Horváth

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Niche Breadth ◽

Local Level ◽

Common Vole ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Barn Owls ◽

Landscape Types ◽

Food Niche

Abstract This study investigated the dietary niche of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in an intensively farmed landscape, based on pellet samples from 12 nesting pairs containing 25 animal taxa and 1,994 prey items after the breeding season in 2016. Based on land use categories of the buffer area around each nest, three landscape types (agricultural, mosaic, urban) were considered, to analyse the diet composition and food-niche parameters. Niche breadth was calculated at the local and landscape level. Small mammals were the most frequent in the diet than other prey in each of the landscape types. The Common Vole (Microtus arvalis), considered to be an important agricultural pest was the most numerous prey in all landscape groups. The trophic niche of Barn Owl varied between 0.69 – 0.86 at the local level, and the overall value of niche breadth was significantly higher in the urban than in the other two landscape types. Our results showed that the increase of Common Vole frequency lead to a decrease in niche breadth; significantly negative relationship was detected between these parameters. Despite differences in niche breadth, similarly high niche overlaps were detected by the randomisation test in the three landscapes. Our results suggest that the diet composition of Barn Owls, mainly their food-niche pattern, reflected prey availability in the comparison of the studied landscapes, which pointed out that it is necessary to examine the dietary difference of Barn Owls at the finer scale of land use.

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Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Diet Composition on Intensively Used Agricultural Land in the Danube Lowland

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis ◽

10.11118/actaun201765010225 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 225-233

Author(s):

Tomáš Veselovský ◽

Kristián Bacsa ◽

Filip Tulis

Keyword(s):

Diet Composition ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Common Vole ◽

Bird Species ◽

Passer Domesticus ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Food Samples ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

The Common

Based on pellets analysis from five localities in south western Slovakia (Malá Mužla, Malé Ripňany, Obid, Opatovský Sokolec and Tešedíkovo), we studied the diet composition of Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in intensively cultivated agricultural lands. A total of 6218 specimens of prey, 17 mammalian and 7 bird species were identified. The main prey species found in all food samples was the Common Vole (Microtus arvalis), varying between 56 % and 67 %. The proportion of synanthropic species (Rattus norvegicus, Passer domesticus) and species inhabiting agricultural landscapes (Crocidura leucodon, Crocidura suaveolens, Mus sp.) increases in localities with a lower ratio of the Common Vole. The results suggest land use affects the diet of Barn Owls, confirming conclusions which have been drawn in previous studies. From faunistic point of view, discovering the Pannonian Root Vole (Microtus oeconomus mehelyi) in the diet from Malá Mužla was important.

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