The status and population changes of the Little Owl(Athene noctua)in the south of Békés county (Hungary)

Abstract

Between 1995 and 2017 we carried out surveys on the Little Owl (Athene noctua) in Battonya town and Kevermes village in southern Békés county. In 2007 and 2017 we have surveyed nesting sites in the village and the outer areas of Kevermes. The population of the species was estimated at the beginning of the breeding season and in early summer with field observations. Between 1995 and 2017 we collected road-kill data within the entire administrative area of Battonya. We registered each fiund road-killed Little Owl. We found 64 road-kills in Battonya. The number of casualties of the species has increased unambiguously over the studied 23 years. Most of the road-killed Little Owls (53 individuals, 82.81% of the total) were found in summer (June–August). 51 road-killed individuals (79.69%) were noted in the outer areas of Battonya, and 13 specimens (20.31%) in the town. Our results highlight that vehicle traffic is an important mortality factor for the population. The Little Owl has a large population in this landscape, and the population size has increased over the last decade. In the background of this increase is most likely the rise in the number of abandoned houses because of the unfavourable economic and social situation in the region. The local pairs nested only on attics and roof structures in Kevermes, often in residential buildings. The buildings of modern agriculture do not meet the needs of the species. A large part of the population breeds in the village, because with the disappearance of the farms the breeding pairs of the outer areas of Kevermes have disappeared. However, in Battonya the species regularly breeds in the outer areas of the town. Finally, we also collected some ethnoecological data on how local people relate to the species.

Winter diet and roosting site use of urban roosting Long-eared Owls (Asio otus), and the change in the species’ population size in Southeast Hungary×

“…According to the roadkill data, the largest number of Long-eared Owls were hit by the traffic in the summer period after the independence of the young birds (June -July). Similar results were obtained by Bozó and Csathó (2017) in case of Little Owl, with the difference that the maximum number of roadkilled individuals were found in the second half of the summer (July -August).…”

“…In addition, due to the mild winter, several bird species were present in larger numbers in the area, which normally migrate to the south, thus increasing the likelihood of bird prey. A good example of this is the White Wagtail (Motacilla alba), as this species typically leave the area by the end of October (Bozó 2017). However, in the 2019/2020 season, we still saw two individuals in the area on the 17 th of November (Bozó L. pers.…”

“…With the slow depopulation of settlements, more and more abandoned houses are serving as excellent habitats for the rats. Negative demographics also affect the local population of another owl species, the Little Owl (Athene noctua), which increased significantly in the area over the last decade thanks to more and more abandoned houses that provide a quiet nesting place and excellent feeding ground for the species (Bozó & Csathó 2017).…”

“…The species is considered to be a regular breeder in Kevermes, and have a winter roosting site in the center of the village, probably dating back several decades (Bozó 2017). Therefore, we had the opportunity to examine the feeding and population changes of the species.…”

Little Owl’s (Athene noctua) vertebrate food composition during breeding season with high frog dominance in grasslands

“…In certain regions of the Great Plain (e.g. Békés and Bács-Kiskun counties), the species has a significant population with increasing population trend observed in the past decade (Bozó & Csathó 2017. As a consequence of their population decline, the conservation and research of the Little Owl have become important priorities in most European countries (e.g.…”