Diet and reproduction in coastal and inland populations of the Tawny Owl Strix aluco in southern Finland

Solonen, Tapio; Karhunen, Jonna; Kekkonen, Jaana; Kolunen, Heikki; Pietiäinen, Hannu

doi:10.1007/s10336-016-1405-8

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In cold environmental conditions, survival in the grey morph may be better than in the brown one due to minor oxidative stress (Galván et al 2012) and better insulation capacity of the plumage (Koskenpato et al 2016). Survival in females may be better than in males due to their larger body size (Sunde et al 2003, Solonen 2009) and consequently minor relative energy needs as well as more insulative plumage (Koskenpato et al 2016). Cold and snowy winters reflected negatively also in the number of fledglings of brown males.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does plumage colour signal fitness in the tawny owl Strix aluco?

Solonen¹

2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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Plumage colour has been hypothesized to signal fitness in its component parts survival and reproduction. In the tawny owl Strix aluco, grey individuals have been considered to be more viable and productive than brown ones in cold environmental conditions. The recent increase in the frequency of the brown morph in Finland has been explained by the climate warming. However, in recent decades there have been no trends in the general mildness of winters. Therefore, trends in the abundance of owls due to climate warming per se were unexpected. In a population near the southern coast of Finland, the abundance of grey (not brown) individuals increased significantly during the period 1986-2018, suggesting that natural selection has recently favoured the grey colour morph. During snowy and cold winters grey owls seemed to survive better than brown ones, suggesting that plumage colour signals adaptations to winter weather. The proportion of brown individuals in each year was best explained by the joint effect of snow cover and winter temperature. Extreme peaks in snow fall and cold winters seemed to affect substantially and rather similarly the abundance of both colour morphs. Between population differences in the occurrence of colour morphs were probably due to local and temporal differences in the snow cover. The number of fledglings was significantly related to the colour morph and weather conditions of the preceding winter in males but not in females. This suggests that coloration of males signals fitness in reproduction.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Birds were sexed based on their general size, particularly on the basis of the wing length, body mass and the prominent incubation patch of females (Southern 1970, Sunde et al 2003, Solonen 2009).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Breeding Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does plumage colour signal fitness in the tawny owl Strix aluco?

Solonen¹

2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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“…Age has been shown to slightly influence sexual preproduction among owls [43]. Breeding propensity increased slightly as female owls aged, although this was only observed for parents who had successfully fledged chicks in the previous year.…”

Section: Agementioning

confidence: 97%

Strategies of Owl Reproduction

Adejumo¹

2020

Owls

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Sexual reproduction is important to owls because it affords them the opportunity to transfer genes from parents to the offspring. Owls are usually monogamous, and the same mates may pair for breeding purposes for several years, although variations exist from one species to another. Food availability or prey abundance is an important factor that determines reproduction and the upbringing of young ones for owls. Although some species usually engage in breeding during the springs, breeding and raising of chicks usually coincide with the availability of food. Other factors that play significant roles in determining breeding among owls include predation risk, agricultural activities, favourable weather, suitable mate and disease, among others.

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“…16,45 The brood size is then finetuned by hatching success, diet, and other factors during the nestling period. [5][6][7] Extrinsic, environmental factors, such as rain, may have considerable effects on the availability of prey. Intrinsic factors, such as the age and agility of the male, may influence food availability of the brood by affecting hunting success of the male in all environmental conditions.…”

Section: Factors Affecting Brood Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

“…[2][3][4] The final outcome is then finetuned during breeding by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. [5][6][7] In generalist predators, the energy needed for reproduction is harvested from various prey categories, the profitability of which may vary both quantitatively and qualitatively. 8,9 Relatively large food items can be supposed to be more profitable than small ones, but their profitability may depend on abundance, accessibility, or difficulties in handling (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet and brood size in rural and urban Northern Goshawks Accipiter gentilis in southern Finland

Solonen¹,

Lokki

Sulkava³

2019

Avian Biology Research

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The brood size in the Finnish Northern Goshawks seems to be associated with the breeding habitat and the availability of suitable prey. In this study, we examined these relationships in three study areas of different landscape structure in southern Finland, including a recently colonized urban area. The most abundant prey categories found in the food remains of the goshawk included corvids, turdids, columbids, gallinaceous birds, and squirrels. Corvids dominated in the diet samples of all the study areas. The number of turdids and columbids in the samples was significantly higher in both the rural and the urban habitats than in the wilderness area. The number of gallinaceous birds was significantly higher in the wilderness area than in other habitats. Gallinaceous birds, particularly tetraonids, the traditional staple food of the Northern Goshawk in Finland, seemed to be largely compensated by corvids in the wilderness area and by corvids and columbids in the rural and urban areas. The amount of corvids in prey showed a positive relationship with brood size, suggesting some particular importance of this prey in the goshawk diet. In all, diet seemed to explain partly betweenlandscape variations in the brood size of the goshawk. The brood size was significantly higher in the urban landscape than elsewhere.

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Diet and reproduction in coastal and inland populations of the Tawny Owl Strix aluco in southern Finland

Cited by 10 publications

References 36 publications

Does plumage colour signal fitness in the tawny owl Strix aluco?

Does plumage colour signal fitness in the tawny owl Strix aluco?

Strategies of Owl Reproduction

Diet and brood size in rural and urban Northern Goshawks Accipiter gentilis in southern Finland

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