The Barn Owl- A Selective Opportunist Predator

Tores, Mali; Motro, Yoav; Motro, Uzi; Yom-Tova, Yoram

doi:10.1560/7862-9e5g-rqjj-15be

Cited by 51 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We found that significantly more Scops Owls, Jackdaws, and House Sparrows bred in small entrance nest boxes, Barn Owls were prevented from entering, other than in large entrance nest boxes. In Israel, Barn Owls have been found to prey on House Sparrows and Black Rats but not on Scops Owls and Jackdaws (Pokines and Peterhans 1997;Yom-Tov and Wool 1997;Tores and Yom-Tov 2003;Tores et al 2005;Charter et al 2007bCharter et al , 2009.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the risk of competition and predation on large secondary cavity breeders

2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effects of competition and risk of predation on secondary cavity breeders were examined between the 2008 and 2009 breeding seasons using an experimental design manipulating two nest entrance sizes (large entrances allowed Barn Owls (Tyto alba) to enter, while the small entrances excluded them). During the 2009 breeding season, the entrance sizes of nest boxes were exchanged, so that if during one year a nest box in a particular location had a small entrance, the second year it had a large entrance and vice versa. Barn Owls and Eurasian Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) occupied 67.3 and 17.3%, respectively, of large entrance nest boxes. Significantly more Jackdaws (Corvus monedula), House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) and Scops Owls (Otus scops) bred in nest boxes with small than with large entrances. After nest box entrance sizes were exchanged, Barn Owls and smaller species did not breed in the same nest boxes with the new entrance size. Jackdaws probably did not breed in large entrance nest boxes due both to exploitation competition (Barn Owls and Eurasian Kestrels occupied the majority of large entrance nest boxes), and may also have avoided empty nest boxes because of the risk of interference competition; whereas smaller species may have also avoided large entrance nest boxes due to risk of predation.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the risk of competition and predation on large secondary cavity breeders

2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Another attractive attribute is the fact that small mammals, especially rodents, are the main prey source of barn owls and its diet is an accurate reflection of the local fauna composition as well as population fluctuations of prey (Alvarez-Castaneda et al, 2004;Tores et al, 2005;Granjon & Traore 2007;Magrini & Facure, 2008;Charter et al, 2009). Despite barn owls' relatively smaller size, their high metabolic rate enables them to exhibit a relatively high consumption rate, and are reported to feed up to one fourth of their body weight in prey daily (Marti et al, 2005).…”

Section: Why Barn Owls Are So Frequently Considered As Biological Rodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are avian predators effective biological control agents for rodent pest management in agricultural systems?

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Worldwide rodent pests are of significant economic and health importance.Controlling rodent pests will, therefore, not only benefit food security, but also human and animal health. While rodent pests are most often chemically controlled, there is increased interest in biological control through avian predation. A rich body of research has addressed the impact of avian predators on wild rodent populations, but little is known about the effectiveness of avian predators as biological control agents of rodent pests in agricultural systems. In this study we systematically reviewed research that investigated different aspects of avian predation on rodent pest populations in order to increase our understanding of the impact and effectiveness of avian predation on rodent pests. Several avian predators (Tyto alba, Elanus axillaris Falco tinnunculus, F. cenchroides, Bubo bengalensis, Buteo rufinus) were commonly cited in the biological control of rodents; however, barn owls (T. alba) are the most cited species (86% of studies). We found some support that the use of avian predators produced positive, measurable effects where increased presence of avian predators tended to lower rodent pest numbers, resulting in lower crop damage. However, our review highlighted several shortcomings related to research on avian predation of rodent pests. First, research concerning rodent pest control through avian predation was limited (1.86 articles per year). Secondly we found that studies lack statistical rigor to detect and measure change in rodent pest species abundance. Finally, the majority of studies were short term and therefore not able to evaluate long term sustainable rodent pest population suppression. We suggest that current shortcomings could be adequately addressed with control-treatment studies that quantitatively investigate the effects of avian predation on rodent pest populations and agricultural impact.Such research could help develop recommendations regarding the use of avian predators in rodent pest management.

show abstract

“…Barn Owl diets usually depend on food supply and accessibility of prey in their hunting territories according to habitat characteristics and general opportunistic feeding strategy (Taylor, 1994;Bond et al, 2004;Horváth et al, 2005;Tores et al, 2005;Charter et al, 2009;Arlettaz et al, 2010;Marti, 2010;Frey et al, 2011). Diets in breeding localities with similar proportions of habitats in the Kazanlak Valley have statistically significant but weak overlaps, perhaps because only the wetlands in hunting territories significantly influence the food spectrum.…”

Section: Influence Of Landscape Structure On Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet of Barn Owl Tyto alba in Central South Bulgaria as influenced by landscape structure

Milchev¹

2015

Turk J Zool

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Materials and methods Data collectionThe Kazanlak Valley covers around 800 km2 in the moderate continental climate zone between the Stara Planina Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora Mountains to the south. Open areas with farmland, extensive pastures, and meadows dominate the landscape around villages in the valley (see also Milchev, 2012;Milchev and Gruychev, 2014). Food remains from both intact and disintegrated pellets were collected from around nests and roosting sites in 28 breeding localities in mid-June and early September 2012 and for 2 nests additionally in mid-July 2013, a total of 30 localities. Pellets were possibly deposited over several breeding seasons, but most of them came from 2012 deposits.Prey mammals were identified according to Popov and Sedefchev (2003) and the author's own comparative

show abstract

The Barn Owl- A Selective Opportunist Predator

Abstract: There are differing views in the literature regarding the feeding strategy of the barn owl (Tyto alba, Strigiformes).

Cited by 51 publications

References 18 publications

Effects of the risk of competition and predation on large secondary cavity breeders

Effects of the risk of competition and predation on large secondary cavity breeders

Are avian predators effective biological control agents for rodent pest management in agricultural systems?

Diet of Barn Owl Tyto alba in Central South Bulgaria as influenced by landscape structure

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About