Diet and behavior of the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) in Atiquipa, an ecosystem of Lomas in the south of Peru

Abstract

Abstract. Luque-Fernández CR. 2019. Diet and behavior of the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) in Atiquipa, an ecosystem of Lomas in the south of Peru. Biodiversitas 20: 137-143. The study of trophic and behavioral habits is a fundamental aspect in the knowledge of the natural history of species, especially for those that present a wide range of distribution and that have to adapt to the habitats and available resources that can find to survive. The diet and behavior of Athene cunicularia were studied in a peculiar ecosystem such as the lomas formation, on the arid coast of southern Peru. The analysis of regurgitated pellets from a family group of Athene cunicularia was used and complemented with the monitoring of behavior through the use of trap cameras and direct observations. The results show that the diet during the months of study was based on a high proportion of invertebrate beetles (Tenebrionidae) and scorpions, also finding remains of vertebrates, including rodents, birds and highlighting the presence of a species of marsupial mouse. On the study of behavior, marked and recurrent activities are established during the day for this species, where grooming sessions are frequently reported, as well as interaction with a possible predator of this owl species. These results contribute to the understanding of the trophic relationship and its role in the studied lomas ecosystem, which is added to the importance of this species in the conservation of diversity in desert ecosystems.

Ecología trófica y variación altitudinal en la dieta de Athene cunicularia "lechucita de los arenales" (Aves: Strigidae) en el Departamento de Arequipa, Perú

“…Respecto a las egagrópilas, estas tuvieron un peso promedio de 1,96 g, longitud del largo tuvo et al, 2013). Las presas más consumidas en ambas zonas fueron invertebrados (coleópteros y escorpiones) similares a los encontrados en otras investigaciones (Medina et al, 2013;Cadena-Ortiz et al, 2016;Orihuela-Torres et al, 2018;Luque-Fernández, 2020). En el procesamiento de muestras se encontraron restos de óseos en cantidades considerables como de Muridae y Cricetidae, destacándose como huesos no determinados, sin Figura 1.…”

“…1987;Torres-Contreras et al, 1994;Carevic et al, 2013;Cruz-Jofré y Vilina, 2014) y respuesta frente a la variación de presas (Bellocq, 2000), dos componentes relevantes en el estudio de la ecología trófica de aves rapaces. Para el caso particular de Perú, se han descrito parcialmente los hábitos tróficos de esta especie, con estudios descriptivos de los ítems presa más consumidos en el ecosistema de Lomas (Medina et al, 2013;Luque-Fernández, 2020). No existe información en otros hábitats como la sierra, ni estudios sobre su potencial selectividad dietaria.…”

First record of Leopardus colocola (Molina, 1782) in Northern Patagonia, Aysén Region, Chile, and behavioral scent-marking observations

“…Thus, it is possible to infer that these species use feces as an important intra or interspecific communication for territory marking. It has documented that latrines have great potential as communication centers in felines of the Leopardus genus (Rodgers et al 2015) Luque -Fernández et al (2019) report by camera traps a L. colocola in a den of burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia). These authors assume this behavior as a predatory action.…”