A kuvik [athene noctua (scopoli, 1769)] táplálkozásának vizsgálata a kiskunságban

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

“…There are some studies dealing with population surveys (Finck 1990, Tomé et al 2008, Thorup et al 2010, Šálek & Lövy 2012, Šálek et al 2013, breeding habits and feeding analyses of Little Owls (Angelici et al 1997, Obuch & Kristín 2004, Lanszki 2006, Hámori 2014, Šálek et al 2016, however, only Hernandez (1988) dealt specifically with collecting and analysing species-related road-kill data. During his studies in Spain, he got similar results in the distribution of the collisions within a year, that is, the largest number of road-killed individuals occur in August and July after the fledging of juveniles, while the figures are lower in the rest of the year.…”

“…This can be related primarily to feeding habits because illuminated roads concentrate more insects and mammals in the night. Based on the results of Hámori (2014), this owl species has a high tolerance spectrum relative to the disturbing factors of asphalted roads and despite the risk factors in the area, they prefer their proximity because of the food. L. Bozó & A. I. Csathó Despite that the number of nesting sites is higher in the town, the 79.68% of the found road-killed Little Owls were in the outer areas of Battonya, probably because the vehicles are traveling at higher speeds in the outer areas than in the town (the maximum speed limit 90 km/h in the outer areas and 50 km/h in the town in Hungary).…”

“…Based on the literature, this species has wide food spectrum (Angelici et al 1997, Hámori 2014, and sometimes eats plants as well (Lanszki 2006), so it is not surprising that even the decline in the number of livestock did not cause population declines for Little Owls. However, it should be noted that collapsed, abandoned houses are a good habitat for rodents, so this actually replaces the amount of rodents that are falling due to less animal husbandry.…”