A comparative study of the diets of barn owl (Tyto alba) and spotted owlet (Athene brama) inhabiting Ahmadpur East, Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Nadeem, Muhammad Sajid; Imran, Syed; Mahmood, Tariq; Kayani, Amjad Rashid; Shah, Syed Israr

doi:10.1163/157075511x597593

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…A rat prey increase in the winter months might be associated to increased needs for energy intake by the barn owl [ 60 ]. Relative prey intake may also reflect the availability of the prey species: the reproductive period of mice may cease during the colder months [ 12 ] whereas this of rats is continuous during most of the year [ 12 , 36 ]. The activity patterns of barn owl and its prey may also play an important role in its participation in the diet as the barn owl is mainly a nocturnal predator and its most important prey is active at night.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a consequence, use of a wide range of prey species [ 1 , 2 ] and foraging habitats [ 8 ] have been reported. Although foraging opportunism, that is use of a wide range of prey species depending on their availability, has been suggested as a common behaviour exhibited by the species [ 7 , 9 – 12 ], it has also been indicated that barn owl is an A selective predator, so its diet does not represent the true abundance of prey in the wild [ 13 – 17 ]. According to Tores et al [ 18 ] and Muñoz-Pedreros et al [ 17 ] the barn owl cannot be defined as a pure opportunist or a pure selective hunter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial and temporal patterns in the diet of barn owl (Tyto alba) in Cyprus

Moysi

Christou

Goutner

et al. 2018

J of Biol Res-Thessaloniki

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BackgroundThe barn owl, a nocturnal raptor with cosmopolitan distribution, shows a great adaptability to different environments. Regarding prey, the barn owl is a rather selective species, but if changes in the abundance of the selected prey occur, it becomes an opportunistic predator and easily incorporates other prey in its diet, using a wide range of prey species and foraging habitats. Small rodents are usually the prey mostly used. Compared to the populations of north and eastern Europe, barn owl populations in the Mediterranean area have been the least studied. In Cyprus, where barn owl is a common bird species, there are no studies on its diet and feeding ecology. This study was carried out to contribute to the spatial and temporal patterns barn owl diet in Cyprus also providing information on small mammals’ presence and species composition on the island.MethodsThis study was based on 1407 regurgitated pellet analysis that were collected from 26 sites representing six major habitat types on central and southern Cyprus from summer 2013 to summer 2014. The diet of the barn owl was described in terms of seasonal average biomass and numerical percentages of each prey species and compared by Kruskal–Wallis test. Seasonal prey diversity and evenness indices were also calculated. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the prey biomass proportion data assigned to six major habitat types with regard to elevation, vegetation and human uses.ResultsLow prey diversity was found comprised mainly of rodents (overall means 96.2 and 95.7% by number and biomass, respectively). Mice followed by rats were most important prey whereas insectivores, birds and insects were minor components of the owl’s diet. Evenness and diversity values were relatively similar among seasons. PCA differentiated mainly between lowland areas where mice were more abundant prey and mountainous areas where rats dominated in the diet. Insectivores correlated with birds, prey types characterizing several lowland and highland habitats.ConclusionsThe barn owl prey composition in Cyprus suggests an opportunistic foraging behavior, low prey species diversity with variations in the main rodent prey that could be explained by their distribution, seasonal activity and habitat preferences.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal patterns in the diet of barn owl (Tyto alba) in Cyprus

Moysi

Christou

Goutner

et al. 2018

J of Biol Res-Thessaloniki

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“…Although studies related to ecology of many other bird species have been conducted in Pakistan such as by Abdullah et al (2017), however, different owl species, mainly have stayed neglected for their ecological investigations. A few earlier studies conducted on owls in Pakistan have focused on their food habits in the central and southern Punjab (Nadeem et al, 2012), however, ecological data regarding their nesting habitat and other aspects are lacking in the country. Therefore, the current study was focused on recording the current diversity and nests of owl species occurring in the MHNP, Islamabad.…”

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confidence: 99%

Diversity and Nest Characteristics of Owl Species Inhabiting Margalla Hills National Park Islamabad, Pakistan

Mahmood¹,

Rasool²,

Akrim³

et al. 2018

PJZ

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“…All the pellets were first weighed on electronic balance and then their morphometric measurements, i.e., length (mm), breadth (mm) and thickness (mm) were recorded. To record the diet composition of the Spotted Owlet, each pellet was first soaked in 8% sodium hydroxide solution for about two hours as described by Neelanarayanan et al (1998) and Mittal (1997). This solution assisted in easy separation of the osseous remains (skulls and other bones) and chitinous contents (undigested insect remains) from other contents like hair, debris etc.…”

Section: Pellet Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

<b>Analysis of regurgitated pellets of Spotted Owlet <I>Athene brama</I> (Temminck, 1821) (Aves: Strigiformes: Strigidae) from Punjab, India</b>

Malhotra

Singla

2018

J. Threat. Taxa

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The present study was conducted to determine the diet of Spotted Owlet Athene brama. Analysis of 200 regurgitated pellets collected from eight different locations in Punjab (India) determined average weight, length, breadth and thickness to be 1.0g, 27.0mm, 16.0mm and 12.0mm, respectively. Remains of a total 433 individual prey were found in these pellets. Diet of Spotted Owlet consisted of both vertebrates (45.7%) and invertebrates (54.3%). Among vertebrates, mice (45.0%) were predominant, followed by frogs (0.5%) and birds (0.2%). Among invertebrates, diet mainly consisted of insects (53.8%) followed by molluscs (0.5%). Insects preyed upon by Spotted Owlet were predominantly of orders Coleoptera (34.9%), followed by Orthoptera (10.2%), Dermaptera (7.9%) and some unidentified orders (0.9%). The remnants of insects and molluscs in the pellets comprised of wings, legs, head, shells etc. The average number of mice consumed per pellet was 1.32, with a maximum capacity of consuming up to five mice per night.

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A comparative study of the diets of barn owl (Tyto alba) and spotted owlet (Athene brama) inhabiting Ahmadpur East, Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Cited by 9 publications

References 30 publications

Spatial and temporal patterns in the diet of barn owl (Tyto alba) in Cyprus

Spatial and temporal patterns in the diet of barn owl (Tyto alba) in Cyprus

Diversity and Nest Characteristics of Owl Species Inhabiting Margalla Hills National Park Islamabad, Pakistan

<b>Analysis of regurgitated pellets of Spotted Owlet <I>Athene brama</I> (Temminck, 1821) (Aves: Strigiformes: Strigidae) from Punjab, India</b>

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