Difference in small mammal assemblages in the diet of the Common Barn-Owl Tyto alba between two landscapes

Abstract

As an opportunistic predator, the Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba) proved to be an appropriate model organism to survey the composition of small mammal assemblages. This study analysed barn owls’ pellet samples from 14 localities containing 34 animal taxa and 4,088 prey items in two years (2015–2016). Two groups of samples (7–7 localities) were separated based on the dominance of semi-natural habitats and agricultural lands. Rarefaction analysis proved that the species richness and diversity of barn owls’ diet were significantly higher in semi-natural landscapes. The multiple regression analysis between PCA scores showed that in the agrarian landscape the abundance of generalist species was influenced by the proportion of forests, while the value of the trophic level index was determined by the size of arable fields. In the case of semi-natural landscapes, the abundance of the synantrop guild and generalist species, especially S. araneus and A. agrarius, was influenced by the proportion of urban areas, the number of habitats and the size of arable fields. The results of this study suggested that the small mammal consumption of the Common Barn-owl is significantly different in the two landscapes, which reflects the impact of habitat heterogeneity and agricultural activity on prey availability.

Variation in small mammal food resource niche metrics of Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba) at the nesting pair and local population level

“…In the Gy. F. Horváth, M. Maurer & A. Horváth case of the Danube-Drava National Park, the Common Vole was the most common prey in both periods, which corresponds to the results of research conducted in the temperate region of Europe (Frey et al 2011, Veselovsky et al 2017, Horváth et al 2022, while wood mice (Apodemus spp.) proved to be an alternative prey.…”

“…Distribution of the nesting and sample data in case of the two Western Barn Owl populations in the two different demographic phases of the Common Vole 1. táblázat A fészkelő-és köpetminta adatok megoszlása a két gyöngybagoly populáció esetében a mezei pocok két különböző demográfiai fázisában Gy. F. Horváth, M. Maurer & A. Horváth mammals (McDowell & Medlin 2009, Torre et al 2015, Tulis et al 2015, Horváth et al 2022 and skulls, mandibles and long bones for birds, as well as skulls, remnants of ilium or frontoparietal bones for frogs.…”

Global and local drivers of Echinococcus multilocularis infection in the western Balkan region

“…The study highlighted the importance of open lowlands, farmlands, and agricultural intensification in common vole distribution. The loss of landscape heterogeneity resulted in vole dominance both in the habitat and in the pellets 42 . In the Alps, an opposite phenomenon is observed as habitat fragmentation enhances the population expansion of Alpine rodent species resulting in exacerbation of E. multilocularis epizootic 34 .…”

Microplastic in an apex predator: evidence from Barn owl (Tyto alba) pellets in two sites with different levels of anthropization

“…), which in many cases can be easily found under roosts and breeding sites. Pellets have been largely used to assess species feeding habits (e.g., Janžekovič and Klenovšek 2020), and in the case of owls (Aves, Strigiformes) to reveal the diversity of small mammal communities within their home range (Lovari et al 1976;Battisti et al 1997 The barn owl (Tyto alba) is an opportunistic, generalist and nocturnal feeder that predates mostly on small mammals and to a lesser extent on birds, lizards, amphibians, and insects (e.g., Meek et al 2012;De la Peña et al 2020;Horváth et al, 2022). The species occupies fragmented and heterogeneous landscapes including intensive agricultural crops and urbanized areas.…”