Habitat selection in a changing environment: the relationship between habitat alteration and Scops Owl (Aves: Strigidae) territory occupancy

Abstract

The Scops Owl Otus scops (L., 1758) is a species of European concern, which suffered a noticeable decrease in distribution in the last decades, and changes in agricultural practices have been proposed as a major threat for this owl. We studied the habitat preference of the Scops Owl by assessing the habitat occupancy of 401 territories distributed in a large area in northwest Italy, with a special focus on 98 territories located in a high-density area (Monferrato). Habitat characteristics were analyzed with maximum entropy (MAXENT) models that included both vegetational (16 land use categories) and physical features estimated from a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) (altitude, slope, hillshade). In the Monferrato area, a comparison of 2009 landcover was also made with year 1954/55 characteristics obtained from aerial photographs. In the full northwest Italy area, the Scops Owl preferred areas located at middle altitude with intermediate slope. The preferred habitats included riparian areas and pasture-grassland, while woodlands and zones with Robinia pseudoacacia shrublands were avoided. In the Monferrato area, Scops Owl occupancy occurred in sites where the landuse (croplands/vineyard mosaic) had changed little since the mid-1950s. Our study suggests that conservation activity should focus on interventions halting riparian zone transformation and subsidies promoting agricultural practices favouring pastures and grassland.

Analysis of landscape structure, habitat selection and urbanisation in edge populations of Scops Owls Otus scops in Central Europe×

“…Several studies attempted to explain the population decline of the Scops Owl in Europe (Sergio et al 2009, Treggiari et al 2013, Denac et al 2019. Landscape transformation and the change in agricultural use undoubtedly lead the list of human induced factors, however, revealing these effects still remains a real challenge in Central Europe, outside the core Mediterranean range (Ivajnšič et al 2020).…”

Feeding ecology of the scops owl, Otus scops (Aves: Strigiformes), in the island of Pianosa (Tuscan Archipelago, Central Italy) outside the breeding period

“…Preservation of farmlands and meadows is claimed to be mandatory for its conservation (Treggiari et al 2013), as its diet is mostly composed by insects typical of open habitats, e.g. Orthoptera (crickets and grasshoppers: Krištìn et al 2011), at least during the breeding period (MarchJuly).…”

“…The scops owl is the smallest European nocturnal raptor and it requires important conservation measurements (Mañez 1994;Treggiari et al 2013), although it is considered of "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; Peronace et al 2012;BirdLife International 2015). Preservation of farmlands and meadows is claimed to be mandatory for its conservation (Treggiari et al 2013), as its diet is mostly composed by insects typical of open habitats, e.g.…”

“…Scops owls select open habitats (e.g. meadows, steppes and farmlands) during the breeding period (March-July) as well as human settlements (Martínez et al 2007;Treggiari et al 2013;Panzeri et al 2014), while preferring thermal, covered areas (i.e. within woodlands) during the coldest period in Central Italy (Panzeri et al 2014).…”

‘The early bird catches the nest’: possible competition between scops owls and ring‐necked parakeets

“…Scops owls mainly forage in grasslands and ecotones between woodland and open areas, that represent the typical habitats for orthopterans, their main food resource. Scops owls are negatively affected by human‐driven landscape modification (Marchesi & Sergio, ; Treggiari et al ., ), as intensification of agriculture reduces the availability of insects, as well as of trees with cavities (Arlettaz, ; Sergio, Marchesi & Pedrini, ; Treggiari et al ., ). The species is currently declining throughout its range (Marchesi & Sergio, ), despite being classified as ‘Least Concern’ by BirdLife International () on the most recent global and European red lists.…”