Unusual foraging patterns of the barn owl,<i>Tyto alba</i>(Strigiformes: Tytonidae), on small islets from the Pityusic archipelago (Western Mediterranean Sea)

Guerra, Carmen; García, David Pérez; Alcover, Josep Antoni

doi:10.25225/fozo.v63.i3.a5.2014

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…It has been recorded in almost every locality of the Western and central Mediterranean region, while on Cyprus it was substituted by House mouse. The highest proportions of Wood mouse were found on islands(Samothraki 54.8%-this study; Corsica 40.9% 86 ; Sardinia 40.4% 87 ; Balears 66.3% 88 ). In the central and eastern part of the Mediterranean region was present the largest representative of the genus Broad-toothed field mouse A. mystacinus/epimelas, forming 48.1% of prey individuals on Karpathos.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 45%

Large-scale spatial patterns of small-mammal communities in the Mediterranean region revealed by Barn owl diet

Riegert

Šindelář

Zárybnická

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Due to mainly opportunistic hunting behaviour of Barn owl can be its diet composition used for assessing local structure of small-mammal community. We evaluated the structure of small-mammal communities in the Mediterranean region by analysing Barn owl diet using own pellets and literature data (85 localities comprising 182,343 prey individuals). Contrary to widely accepted macroecological theory, we found a latitudinal increase of small-mammal alpha diversity, a less distinct west–east increase and lower diversity on islands. The mean prey weight decreased with increasing latitude, while on islands it decreased with increasing island area. The mean prey weight on islands was further negatively affected by mean land modification by human and positively affected by its range. The diet diversity on islands was not affected either by island area or its distance from the mainland. Its composition largely conformed to the main pattern pronounced over whole the region: an unexpected homogeneity of small-mammal community structure. Despite high beta diversity and large between-sample variation in species composition, Crocidura (+ Suncus etruscus) and murids (Apodemus, Mus, Rattus, in marginal regions partly replaced by gerbillids, Meriones or Microtus) composed more than 90% of owl prey in 92% of samples. Peak abundances of these widespread species are associated with a dynamic mosaic of dense patches of sparse herb vegetation and evergreen sclerophyllous shrublands interspersing areas of human activity, the dominant habitat of the inner Mediterranean and richest food resource for foraging Barn owls. The respective small-mammal species can be looked upon as invasive elements accompanying large scale human colonization of the region since the Neolithic and replacing original island biota. Our study documented that desertification of the Mediterranean played an important role in shaping inverse latitudinal gradient in diversity of small-mammals that contradicts to widely accepted mecroecological theory.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 45%

Large-scale spatial patterns of small-mammal communities in the Mediterranean region revealed by Barn owl diet

Riegert

Šindelář

Zárybnická

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…It has been noted that on archipelagos, and on very small islands, species richness and composition can vary independently of island area and isolation (MacArthur & Wilson, 1967;Lomolino et al, 2009). A small-island effect on the diet diversity of the barn owl was not tested because barn owls can, under conditions of prey shortage on small islets, extend their hunting range and potentially feed on neighbouring islands or islets (Guerra et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So far, only individual islands or archipelagos in the Mediterranean or elsewhere have been investigated (e.g. Amori, Rizzo Pinna, Sammur, & Luiselli, 2015; Guerra, García, & Alcover, 2014; Siverio, Siverio, Rodríguez, & Rodríguez, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The biogeography of diet diversity of barn owls on Mediterranean islands

Janžekovič

Klenovšek

2020

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim: Following the classical MacArthur-Wilson island equilibrium model of species richness, we hypothesize that island size and isolation affect prey composition and diet diversity of predators on islands. We used the barn owl as a model predatory organism that is known for feeding and habitat flexibility and explored the patterns of its diet on Mediterranean islands in relation to the island biogeography and human population density. Location: Mediterranean Islands. Taxon: Barn owl (Tyto alba) and its prey. Methods: Data on taxonomic composition of the barn owl diet were obtained from pellets (Adriatic island of Korčula) and from published studies performed on 18 Mediterranean islands. For each island, diet diversity indices were calculated and correlated with island area, linear distance from the mainland, human population size and density, and geospatial trends. Results: Murinae mice and rats were the dominant prey. The proportion of birds and reptiles consumed was 5 and 18 times higher, respectively, than in Europe in general. Diet diversity correlated with island size, but not island isolation. Island size was also a good predicator of the proportions of the vertebrate prey. Human population density and longitude had no effect on diet diversity. Main conclusions: Diet diversity of the barn owl on Mediterranean islands only partly followed the island biogeography theory. Diet diversity was greater on the larger Mediterranean islands. However, a more diverse diet did not mean a higher number of taxa, but a wider range of abundant and evenly represented taxa. The smaller the islands, the more birds and reptiles were consumed, compared to higher proportions of mammals on the larger islands. These findings support the idea of barn owls' feeding flexibility and opportunistic predator behaviour. Despite the barn owl being a synanthropic bird, urbanization had no influence on its diet diversity. Also island isolation had no significant effect.

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“…33 In the Balearic Islands, it has been found that Common Barn-owls also fly over the 4.5 km wide strait for hunting to catch prey on the neighboring island. 34 According to a study performed in Canada, owls move 8–10 km from their regular roost site for one night only. 35 Based on the described different approaches, it is still not clear how large an area might be that actually represents the Common Barn-owl’s hunting area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An attempt to determine the size of the Common Barn-owl’s (Tyto alba) hunting area based on its prey composition

Purger

Szép

2021

Avian Biology Research

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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.

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Unusual foraging patterns of the barn owl,Tyto alba(Strigiformes: Tytonidae), on small islets from the Pityusic archipelago (Western Mediterranean Sea)

Cited by 9 publications

References 10 publications

Large-scale spatial patterns of small-mammal communities in the Mediterranean region revealed by Barn owl diet

Large-scale spatial patterns of small-mammal communities in the Mediterranean region revealed by Barn owl diet

The biogeography of diet diversity of barn owls on Mediterranean islands

An attempt to determine the size of the Common Barn-owl’s (Tyto alba) hunting area based on its prey composition

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