Tyto furcata(Tytonidae: Strigiformes) pellets: tools to access the richness of small mammals of a poorly known Caatinga area in northeast Brazil

Abstract

Owls are efficient predators and are widely distributed around the globe. Remains of undigested prey is regurgitated by these birds in the form of pellets, and these are a valuable source of information about prey communities and the diet of owls. In this study, the composition of mammals present in the diet of owls that inhabit different caves was evaluated through the analysis of their pellets. We found 373 pellets from seven caves, and small mammals composed at least 80% of the diet of these birds in all caves. The mammal composition found in the pellets showed a richness of 26 distinct taxa including 12 rodents, three marsupials and 11 bats. In this work, we highlight the richness of small mammals in a poorly known Caatinga area. We also highlight the importance of morphology and taxonomy in supporting this kind of research, which relies upon vertebrate parts as its source of information for identification. Finally, we reiterate the efficiency of the study of owl pellets as a rapid approach for assessing local mammal richness and as a complementary method in studies of diversity and conservation.

Small mammal diversity in Semi-deciduous Seasonal Forest of the southernmost Brazilian Pampa: the importance of owl pellets for rapid inventories in human-changing ecosystems

“…et al: Small mammals from Southern Brazilian Pampa Pap. Avulsos Zool., 2020;v.60: e20206025 8/12 Rapid inventories in human-changing ecosystems: owl pellet value Several studies have stressed the importance of owl pellet analysis in small mammal surveys (e.g., Bonvicino & Bezerra, 2003;Formoso et al, 2016;Mancini et al, 2018), and this was also corroborated by the present work. The data obtained in SLS reveal a rich small mammal community occurring in a forested portion of the Pampa Biome in Southern Brazil, including at least 17 taxa of non-volant small mammals and two chiropterans.…”

“…The analysis of owl pellet samples has been considered a useful tool to inventory small mammals (e.g., Taylor, 1994;Bonvicino & Bezerra, 2003;Torre et al, 2004;Pardiñas et al, 2005;Teta et al, 2010;Meek et al, 2012;Baglan & Catzeflis, 2016;Mancini et al, 2018). In addition, it is a relatively easy and low-cost method that generates estimates of species richness that are identical or higher than those obtained by expensive traditional methods (e.g., trapping; Torre et al, 2004).…”

Relative efficiency of two models of snap traps for sampling boreal small mammals

“…Methods used to monitor small mammals have traditionally relied on trapping (Ferguson, 2020; Flowerdew et al 2004; Krebs et al 2011, 2019; Shiels et al 2020). A few noninvasive methods have alternatively been used, including skeletal remains found in owl pellets (Torre et al 2015, van Strien et al 2015, Heisler et al 2016, Mancini et al 2019) or discarded bottles (Kolenda et al 2018, Torre et al 2019), hair tubes (Sanecki and Green 2005), DNA from fecal pellets (Moran et al 2008, Ferreira et al 2018), and camera traps (Villette et al 2016, Littlewood et al 2021). However, the information that can be obtained from sampled individuals varies widely between methods and is limited for those that are noninvasive.…”

Small mammals from barn owl <em>Tyto alba</em> pellets in a Mediterranean agroforestry landscape of central Italy

“…Data on small mammal communities, obtained from owl' pellets, may be also useful to assess change in local owl diets (e.g. Catalisano & Massa, 1987;Love et al, 2000;Veselovský et al, 2017), composition, diversity and temporal trends in prey assemblages (e.g., Clark & Bunck, 1991;Bonvicino et al, 2003;Avenant, 2005;Celauro & Battisti, 2006;Meek et al, 2012;Stefke & Landler, 2020), multi-level trophic systems (e.g., Contoli, 1986;Contoli et al, 2002), ecological value and environmental quality at different spatial/temporal scales (e.g., Prete et al, 2012;Torre et al, 2015;Mancini et al, 2019), until to altitudinal (e.g. Milana et al, 2019), latitudinal (e.g.…”