The Diet of Western Burrowing Owls in an Urban Landscape

Trulio, Lynne; Higgins, Philip G.

doi:10.3398/064.072.0309

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Prairie dogs excavate burrows used by owls for nesting, and their vocalizations alert owls of nearby predators (Butts and Lewis, 1982;Desmond et al, 2000;Restani et al, 2001). Diet and self-maintenance behavior of burrowing owls during the breeding season are well known in undeveloped, agricultural, and urban environments throughout their core North American breeding range (Thomsen, 1971;Green et al, 1993;York et al, 2002;Moulton et al, 2005;Hall et al, 2009;Trulio and Higgins, 2012). However, we lack information on feeding habits of burrowing owls east of their core range and the behavioral mechanisms that allow extralimital individuals to cope with different environmental conditions.…”

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confidence: 93%

“…Burrowing owls are opportunistic predators that readily consume both arthropods and vertebrates, with the latter contributing the most biomass in their diet (77-99%; Poulin et al, 2011). However, most diet information comes from analyses of prey remains and regurgitated pellets (Thomsen, 1971;Green et al, 1993;Plumpton and Lutz, 1993;Moulton et al, 2005;Hall et al, 2009;Trulio and Higgins, 2012). Such methods bias diet summaries in raptors by misrepresenting proportions of prey items that are either difficult to digest, or degrade at different rates after pellets are regurgitated, or both (Simmons et al, 1991;Redpath et al, 2001;Lewis et al, 2004).…”

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confidence: 94%

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Diet and behavior of extralimital Western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypogea) in tallgrass prairie

Herse

2016

The Southwestern Naturalist

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confidence: 93%

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confidence: 94%

Diet and behavior of extralimital Western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypogea) in tallgrass prairie

Herse

2016

The Southwestern Naturalist

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“…These birds inhabit both rural and urban ecosystems (CONWAY et al, 2006) and are considered to have diurnal habits, though also demonstrating nocturnal activities (SPECHT et al, 2013). Their diet includes a vast array of invertebrates (insects and chelicerates) and vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals), varying according to season and habitat (ANDRADE et al, 2010;TRULIO;HIGGINS, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New record of Pelecitus sp. (Nematoda, Onchocercidae) as a parasite of Athene cunicularia (Strigiformes, Strigidae) in southeastern Brazil

Silva

Okamoto

Silva

et al. 2014

Rev. Bras. Parasitol. Vet.

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The aim of this study was to report the burrowing owl Athene cunicularia as a new host for the filarid nematode Pelecitus sp. in southeastern Brazil for the first time, as well as reporting the occurrence of this nematode species in the body cavity, near the cervical air sac and lung region. This study contributes towards knowledge of parasitism in Brazilian wild birds and an anatomical region of the host as an infection site for Pelecitus sp.

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“…These studies show the burrowing owl to be an opportunistic and generalist feeder, with a relatively diverse diet throughout its range and across seasons. In a recent study, Trulio and Higgins (2012) examined the diet of urban burrowing owls in the Santa Clara Valley, California. The Santa Clara Valley is located south of San Francisco, and Trulio and Higgins' burrowing owl diet study is currently the only study proximal to SEFI.…”

Section: Related Research Winter Ecology Of the Western Burrowing Owlmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…then the owl pellets were collected and analyzed for both the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Trulio and Higgins (2012) found that while insects -especially earwigs, grasshoppers, and beetles -were the most numerous prey in the owls' diet, rodentsespecially Botta's pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae), California vole (Microtus californicus), and the house mouse -made up the majority of the prey biomass in both breeding and non-breeding seasons. Similarly, Hall, Greger, and Rosier (2009) found that the most common prey items for a year-round population of burrowing owls in south central Nevada were crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles; rodents, particularly kangaroo rats, however, were the most important component of the diet.…”

Section: Related Research Winter Ecology Of the Western Burrowing Owlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) Diet and Abundance at a Stopover and Wintering Ground on Southeast Farallon Island, California

Chandler¹

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On the Farallon Islands the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) is a native migrant and predator of the non-native house mouse (Mus musculus) and the native ashy storm-petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa). Burrowing owl predation on the ashy stormpetrel is unnaturally exacerbated by the abundance of house mouse prey in the fall, which may encourage more owls to overwinter. When the cyclic mouse population crashes in winter, the owls prey upon storm-petrels, a species of conservation concern. In 2009, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed eradication of the house mouse from the Farallon Islands in order to reduce owl predation on and aid recovery of the storm-petrel. From September 2010 to May 2011, I conducted daily owl surveys and a pellet study of burrowing owls on Southeast Farallon Island, the largest island. The goal was to document burrowing owl abundance, overwintering duration, and seasonal changes in diet composition prior to any mouse eradication effort. During my study I counted 23 owl migrants; a subset of these owls overwintered an average of 118 days. Insects were most numerous, but mice and storm-petrels comprised 98% of the total prey biomass in the diet. Mouse consumption correlated positively with mouse abundance, and owls exhibited seasonal prey switching behavior from mice to storm-petrels. It is likely that mouse eradication would result in fewer owls overwintering and subsequently reduce impacts to the storm-petrel population. v DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to the many colleagues, interns, friends, and family who have supported me along the way: Thank you, Jim, and my Farallon family, for teaching me about Island life, for staring at the rocks with me, and for sharing your daily experiences, no matter how small. Thank you, Lynne, for taking me under your wing and providing guidance and lift when I needed it. Thank you, dear Friends, for enthusiastically dissecting pellets (especially the stinky ones) with me, and for always cheering me on. Thank you, loving Parents, for your amazing generosity, for providing warm clothing and flea powder, and for never giving up on me. Thank you, Ed, for being my greatest champion, for holding my hand, for being so very patient, and for braving the Pacific to bring me home. Finally, I thank you, Rosalee, for carrying me to the end, even as I carried you! May you always have angels and owls watching over you.

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The Diet of Western Burrowing Owls in an Urban Landscape

Cited by 16 publications

References 27 publications

Diet and behavior of extralimital Western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypogea) in tallgrass prairie

Diet and behavior of extralimital Western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypogea) in tallgrass prairie

New record of Pelecitus sp. (Nematoda, Onchocercidae) as a parasite of Athene cunicularia (Strigiformes, Strigidae) in southeastern Brazil

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) Diet and Abundance at a Stopover and Wintering Ground on Southeast Farallon Island, California

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