The effect of urbanization on the diet composition of the Tawny owl (Strix aluco L.)

• Autorzy: Grzedzicka E. , Kus K. , Nabielec J.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

In recent years, developing urban areas have affected food abundance and the feeding grounds of birds. The article contains analysis of the Tawny owl’s diet during four years (2006–2009) from different types of the urbanized area: city, town (much smaller than city) and countryside – based on 356 pellets with 726 prey items. The main group of victims was Rodentia, common were also Apodemus agrarius and Apodemus sylvaticus. Other important groups in the diet were: Microtidae (especially species Microtus arvalis) and Aves. As a generalist, Tawny owl fits the diet to the actual resources in a very flexible way. The main goal of the present work was to describe the food composition variability of the Tawny owl along with the degree of urbanization. Percentages of Microtus arvalis, Micromys minutus, Talpa europaea depended on the urbanization level, while Apodemus flavicollis, Insecta and Amphibia were related to the distance to nearest city centre. The study has shown that the diet of the Tawny owl has been changing along the urbanization gradient. It confirms earlier findings on high plasticity of foraging of this species in urbanized landscape.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

urbanization; diet composition; food abundance; feeding group; tawny owl; Strix aluco; prey item; countryside; city centre; season

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Polish Journal of Ecology
• Rocznik: 2013
• Tom: 61
• Numer: 2
• Opis fizyczny: p.391-399,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Grzedzicka E.

• Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al.Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Krakow, Poland

autor

Kus K.

autor

Nabielec J.

Bibliografia

• Appleby B.M., Anwar M.A., Petty S.J. 1999 – Short-term and long-term effects of food supply on parasite burdens in Tawny owls Strix aluco – Funct. Ecol. 13: 315–321.
• Artemiuk A., Łopucki R. 2011 – Butterflies fauna (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of meadow communities of Huta Krempska Protection District in the Magurski National Park – Roczniki Bieszczadzkie, 19: 247–259 (in Polish).
• Balciauskiene L. 2005 – Analysis of Tawny owl (Strix aluco) food remains as a tool for long – term monitoring of small mammals – Acta Zool. Lituanica. 15: 85–89.
• Bocheński Jun. Z. 1990 – The food of suburban tawny owls on the background of birds and mammals occurring in the hunting territory – Acta Zool. Cracov. 33: 149–171.
• Capizzi D., Caroli L., Varuzza P. 1998 – Feeding ecology of sympatric Long-eared Owl Asio otus, Tawny Owl Strix aluco and Barn Owl Tyto alba in a Mediterranean coastal woodland –Acta Orn. 33: 85–92.
• Galeotti P., Morimando F., Violani C. 1991 – Feeding ecology of the tawny owls (Strix aluco) in urban habitats (northern Italy) – Boll. zool. 58: 143–150.
• Goszczyński J. 1982 – Comparative analysis of food of owls in agrocenoses – Pol. J. Ekol. 29: 431–440.
• Goszczyński J., Jabłoński P., Lesiński G., Romanowski J. 1993 – Variation in diet of Tawny Owl Strix aluco L. along urbanization gradient – Acta Orn. 27: 113–123.
• Gramsz B., Kościów R., Żegliński G. 2005 – Tawny Owl (In:– Methods of owls’ research and conservation, Ed: Mikusek R.) – FWIE, Kraków, pp. 114–124 (in Polish).
• Gramsz B. 1991 – Diet of the Tawny Owl Strix aluco in forest near Oława – Acta Orn. 26: 3–13 (in Polish).
• Gryz J., Krauze D., Goszczyński J. 2008 – The small mammals of Warsaw as inferred from Tawny owl (Strix aluco) pellet analyses – Ann. Zool. Fennici. 45: 281–285.
• Kirk D. 1992 – Diet changes in breeding Tawny Owls (Strix aluco) – J. Raptor Res. 26: 239–242.
• Mikkola H. 1983 – Owls of Europe – T&A D Poyser. Calton, England, 397 pp.
• Mikusek R. 2005 – Methods of owls’ research and conservation – FWIE, Kraków, 188 pp. (in Polish).
• Petty S., Fawkes B. 1998 – Clutch Size Variation in Tawny Owls (Strix aluco) from Adjacent Valley Systems: Can This be Used as a Surrogate to Investigate Temporal and Spatial Variations in Vole Density? – 2nd Owl Symposium, pp. 315–324.
• Petty S. 1999 – Diet of tawny owls (Strix aluco) in relation to field vole (Microtus agrestis) abundance in a conifer forest in northern England – J. Zool. Lond. 248: 451–467.
• Pucek Z. 1984 – Key to Polish mammals identification – PWN Warszawa, 386 pp. (in Polish).
• Redpath S.M. 1995 – Habitat fragmentation and the individual: Tawny owl Strix aluco in woodland patches – J. Anim. Ecol. 64: 652–661.
• Romanowski J., Żmihorski M. 2009 – Seasonal and habitat variation in the diet of the Tawny owl (Strix aluco) in Central Poland during unusually warm years – Biologia, 64: 365–369.
• Solonen T. 2005 – Breeding of the Tawny Owl Strix aluco in Finland: responses of a southern colonist to the highly variable environment of the North – Orn Fenn. 82: 97–106.
• Tomiałojć L., Stawarczyk T. 2003 – Polish Avifauna: distribution, numbers and changes – PTPP proNatura, Wrocław, 870 pp. (in Polish).
• Yalden D.W., Morris P.A. 1993 – The analysis of Owl Pellets – An occasional publication of the Mammal Society. University of Bristol. London, 24 pp.
• Zalewski A. 1994 – Diet of urban and suburban Tawny Owls in the breeding season – J. Raptor Res. 28: 246–252.
• Zawadzka D., Zawadzki J. 2007 – Feeding ecology of Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) in Wigry National Park (North East Poland) – Acta Zool. Lituanica, 17: 234–241.
• Żmihorski M., Osojca G. 2006 – Diet of the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) in the Romincka Forest (NE Poland) – Acta Zool. Lituanica, 16: 46–50.