Tawny Owl <i>Strix aluco</i> response to call-broadcasting and implications for survey design

Worthington-Hill, John

doi:10.1080/00063657.2017.1315047

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…When playback methods have been used, some authors have found that both males and females exhibit similar calling rates (Galeotti & Pavan , Appleby et al . ), whereas other studies have reported that females exhibited significantly lower calling rates than males (Zuberogoitia & Martínez , Worthington‐Hill & Conway ). In fact, sex differences in spontaneous vocal activity are common in owl species (Martínez & Zuberogoitia , Flesch & Steidl , Barnes & Belthoff , Korpimäki & Hakkarainen ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Factors affecting spontaneous vocal activity of Tawny Owls Strix aluco and implications for surveying large areas

Zuberogoitia¹,

Burgos

González‐Oreja

et al. 2018

Ibis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To use vocalizations properly for the estimation of owl population size, it is important to identify how environmental factors affect owl calling behaviour. Here, we analyse how intrinsic and extrinsic factors modify the vocal activity of Tawny Owls Strix aluco in two areas of northern Spain. From March 2013 to May 2015, we radiotracked 20 Tawny Owls and also undertook a systematic survey in which we collected data on spontaneous vocal activity (hoot/call) of the tagged owls, plus their mates and neighbours (36 untagged owls). After 223 nights in Valle de Mena and 224 in Duranguesado we obtained a total of 8791 records of vocal activity. The annual proportion of surveys on which an owl called was 6.3% and did not differ between the study areas. Vocal activity of Tawny Owls varied with sex, annual cycle stage and weather. Male owls were significantly more vocal than females year-round, and vocal activity peaked during the incubation and post-breeding periods. Wind and rain adversely affected vocal activity of both sexes throughout the year. Tagged owls were detected more often than untagged owls, which we interpret as an observer effect because the systematic survey ensured that short distances to tagged owls increased the probability of detecting vocal activity. In fact, 2.8% of variation in vocal activity was due to detectability differences between tagged and untagged owls. We conclude that if fieldwork is carried out during the optimum period of the year for vocal detection (i.e. incubation, which in our case was around mid-April), and under good weather conditions (dry and calm nights), censuses based on spontaneous vocal activity would detect only approximately 12% of the true Tawny Owl population.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Martínez & Zuberogoitia , Mori et al . , Worthington‐Hill & Conway ) and audio playbacks have the potential to elicit a response from otherwise silent birds. Consequently, playback methods have been widely applied for censusing owl populations and developing ecological and behavioural studies (Zuberogoitia & Campos , Barnes & Belthoff , Kajtoch et al .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting spontaneous vocal activity of Tawny Owls Strix aluco and implications for surveying large areas

Zuberogoitia¹,

Burgos

González‐Oreja

et al. 2018

Ibis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To evaluate Tawny Owl response to urbanisation, 40 sample points within the urban landscape of Turin were surveyed using the playback technique, which is commonly employed to survey elusive and territorial birds as it improves their detection probability (Navarro et al 2005, Worthington-Hill & Conway 2017). Sample points were randomly selected using Quantum GIS Software 3.4.5 (Quantum GIS Development Team 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tawny Owl Strix aluco Distribution in the Urban Landscape: The Effect of Habitat, Noise and Light Pollution

Orlando

Chamberlain

2023

Acta Ornithologica

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

At present, the intensification of urban landcover is one of the most critical threats for biodiversity. Common side-effects of urban sprawl are anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night (ALAN). Although their negative effects have often been described, little research has concerned nocturnal wildlife, especially avian predators. Here, we investigated the effect of urban and tree cover, traffic noise and ALAN on the presence of the Tawny Owl Strix aluco, a common night-active predator in Europe. We conducted playback surveys along an urban gradient in Turin (Italy) to detect species presence. Traffic noise was measured in the field, the cover of built-up and (semi-)natural areas was estimated using GIS and multiple measures of ALAN were acquired from a light pollution map. We modelled species presence as a function of each environmental predictor and we found a significant negative relationship with light pollution, which was the foremost urban stressor affecting Tawny Owl occurrence. Our findings suggest that Tawny Owls are more likely to be found in less artificially illuminated areas and that their distribution in urban areas is not only influenced by noise pollution and the availability of suitable habitat, but also the intensity of ALAN. Therefore, light pollution could be a key driver of the spatial distribution of Tawny Owls and potentially other nocturnal species in urban ecosystems.

show abstract

“…In each cell, a location as close as possible to the centroid was selected as the survey point. For the Tawny Owl, better results have been obtained using broadcasting methods rather than simply registering spontaneous calls (Worthington-Hill & Conway, 2017). Consequently, each survey used a three-period survey protocol: 5-min of recorded calls, 5-min waiting for spontaneous calls and 5-min of recorded calls.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Shaping Occurrence Probability of a Generalist Raptor Species across an Urban-Rural Gradient

Pagaldai

Rodríguez‐Pérez

Arnaiz

et al. 2023

Ardeola

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urbanization constitutes one of the most intensive and fast spreading factors explaining biodiversity loss worldwide. The extension of urban areas and landscape configurations affects the ability of raptors to exploit urban patches. The Tawny Owl Strix aluco is a forest-dwelling nocturnal species with a wide distribution range that is well-adapted to urban environments. However, it remains unknown which habitat factors explain its presence in urban-associated landscapes. Our main objective is to determine the effect of urban landscapes on the probability of occurrence of Tawny Owls along an urban-rural gradient. It is expected that Tawny Owls will be able to use urban patches that have (1) at least 30% tree cover thanks to gardens/parks for hunting but (2) they will not use those with high noise levels (i.e., highways). Our research was carried out in the municipality of Donostia-San Sebastian in the Basque Country, Northern Spain. Data were obtained from a survey conducted in 2017. The municipality was divided into 329 square cells, of which 251 were surveyed. Tawny Owls were detected in 141 cells, and we found that nocturnal noise level and scrub cover contributed most to explaining the probability of Tawny Owl occurrence; with nocturnal noise having a significant negative effect on occurrence probability, and scrub cover a positive effect, probably because the species uses open or semi-open areas to hunt (but woodland to breed). Overall, it can be concluded that the very noisy and/or urbanized parts of the city comprised a non-optimal habitat for the species.-Pagaldai, N., Rodríguez-

show abstract

Tawny Owl Strix aluco response to call-broadcasting and implications for survey design

Cited by 13 publications

References 24 publications

Factors affecting spontaneous vocal activity of Tawny Owls Strix aluco and implications for surveying large areas

Factors affecting spontaneous vocal activity of Tawny Owls Strix aluco and implications for surveying large areas

Tawny Owl Strix aluco Distribution in the Urban Landscape: The Effect of Habitat, Noise and Light Pollution

Factors Shaping Occurrence Probability of a Generalist Raptor Species across an Urban-Rural Gradient

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About