Abstract
The diet of Long-eared Owls (Asio otus) that breed and hunt within the grounds of a bird-ringing station located in a large city park in Jerusalem, Israel, was investigated. 13 species of bird were the most common prey group (91% by number) with a frequency of occurrence of 99% in pellets, with House Sparrows, Passer domesticus, and Blackcaps, Sylvia atricapilla, as the most frequent prey species (22% and 17% by number). 29% of the bird specimens found in pellets had been ringed at the ringing station. The frequency of residential and migratory passerines caught by Long-eared Owls and ringed at the ringing station was similar, whereas more migrants were captured and ringed during the spring than summer. A comparison of bird species that were hunted relative to their frequency in the habitat revealed that the owls caught more Sylvia warblers than expected. Long-eared Owls in this study most probably specialised on birds because of the abundance of passerines and the lack of small mammals.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 49-54 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Zoology in the Middle East |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Jan 2008 |
Keywords
- Asio otus
- Diet
- Israel
- Long-eared Owl
- Prey selection
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology