Impact of powerful owl predation on a population of the greater glider: A response to Kavanagh (1988)

Abstract Kavanagh (1988) concluded that 46 months of predation by a pair of powerful owls caused a decline of over 90% in a greater glider population over an area of 100 ha in southeastern New South Wales. He suggested the owls concentrated their foraging activities by taking gliders in one pocket of their home range before moving to the next pocket once the glider population fell to levels at which they were difficult to catch. The assumptions on which Kavanagh's work is based and the methodology of the study are assessed here, and it is argued that the data presented are not sufficient to support the interpretations of powerful owl ecology made in the paper. In particular, alternative explanations of the glider population decline were not considered and home range use by the owls was not examined in enough detail to discern any spatial movement patterns.     

Occupancy patterns of the introduced,predatory sugar glider in Tasmanian forests

Introduced mammals pose serious threats to native island fauna, and understanding their distribution is fundamental to evaluating their conservation impact. Introduced sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) are the main predator of critically endangered swift parrots (Lathamus discolor) on mainland Tasmania. We surveyed sugar glider occurrence over ~800 km² in an important swift parrot breeding area, the Southern Forests. During 4–5 visits per site, we used call broadcast of predatory owls to elicit sugar glider alarm calls and surveyed 100 sites during February/March 2016. Naïve occupancy by sugar gliders was high (0.79), as was detectability (0.52 ± 0.03 SE), resulting in a cumulative detection probability of effectively 1. Occupancy modelling indicated a positive effect of the proportion of mature forest cover on occupancy. The best model, based on AIC scores, included the proportion of mature forest cover within a 500 m radius with constant detectability. Our study revealed surprisingly high rates of occupancy of available forest habitat throughout the heavily logged study area, such that even when mature forest cover was <10%, sugar glider occupancy was >0.5; where forest cover approached 100% (i.e. in the best quality breeding habitat for swift parrots), occupancy by sugar gliders approached 1. Our results reveal that sugar gliders are widespread across the study area which may be indicative of occupancy rates elsewhere in the breeding range of the critically endangered swift parrot. As a result, the risk of predation by sugar gliders for small birds may be widespread across logged Tasmanian forests. Additional work to identify whether population densities of sugar gliders vary with forest cover (and whether this may impact predation likelihood) is critical to understanding the conservation consequences of deforestation in the breeding range of the swift parrot.     

Predation by Tawny owls (Strix aluco) on Bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) and Wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus)

During 1954–56 we made a study of the numerical relationships between a population of Tawny owls ( Strix aluco ) and populations of their main prey species, the Bank vole ( Clethrionomys glareolus ) and the Wood mouse ( Apodemus sylvaticus ), in a 48.6-ha area of mainly deciduous woodland near Oxford. The owls were censused by plotting their territorial challenges (hooting), the rodents by the capture-mark-recapture technique. Since the rodents were marked with numbered monel metal leg rings, we were able to recover a proportion of these in the pellets of undigested material cast by the owls.
The results for Bank voles, which were the more numerous of the two prey species, indicated that 20–30% of the standing crop was removed by owls in any two-month period. We also made an independent estimate of predation rate from the number of rings recovered from owl pellets in relation to the number of ringed rodents released into the population each two months. This coincided with the limits indicated by the first method for voles (20-30% removed of the standing crop each 2 months).
Wood mice were scarcer than Bank voles and were not amenable to satisfactory capturemark-recapture analysis but, when treated on the system of recovery of rings in owl pellets, we found that they were preyed upon relatively more heavily than were the voles. Of the latter 18–46% of the marked animals were recovered in the owl pellets compared with 28–70% of the marked mice. Either the mice were preferred prey or they were more vulnerable to owl predation by reason of their preference for more open habitats.     

Age-dependent diet change,parental care and reproductive costin tawny owls Strix aluco

Tawny owls Strix aluco breeding in nest-boxes were studied in a mixed oak/hornbeam/beech forest located in the Duna-Ipoly National Park 30 km north-west of Budapest, Hungary, during the period 1992–1999. Diet composition, prey mass, breeding performance and body mass of the parents of known age were recorded. Older males had a greater ability to choose alternate prey, delivered a greater mass of prey with a higher feeding frequency and achieved higher productivity than younger males when the availability of the preferred prey declined. The reproductive cost was paid only by young parents. We suggest that the lowest breeding performance, which was observed with young parents in adverse weather conditions, may be due to both the lower ability of these younger birds to exploit alternative prey and to their poor body condition which resulted in them providing fewer resources to their offspring because of their need to provide for their own survival.     

Effects of avian mobbing on roost use and diet of powerful owls,Ninox strenua

We observed the species and numbers of mobbing birds and their effects on a large, nocturnal, bird-eating predator, the powerful owl, together with the pattern of owl predation on mobbing and non-mobbing species. Owls were mobbed on 35 occasions by seven of 44 species of forest birds at a site composed of open forest (88% by area) and rainforest (12%). The majority of bouts involved individuals of a single species, although mixed groups were observed on nine occasions. Regular mobbers were between 4 and 26% of the owls’ body weight. Owls abandoned their daytime roosts during 20% of bouts and responded by calling or actively monitoring mobbers during 54% of bouts. Mobbing appeared to explain why owls roosted in rainforest significantly more often than expected by its availability, mobbing being significantly less frequent in rainforest than in open forest. Only one mobbing species regularly occupied rainforest and the canopy of roosts in rainforest was denser than that in open forest, thus reducing the chances of an owl being detected by potential mobbers. Twelve species of forest birds were within the range of prey size of the powerful owl (75–800 g): six were mobbers and six non-mobbers. The frequency of owl predation on non-mobbers was 8.75 times that on mobbers. The species in this study took a high risk by mobbing a very large predator, but benefited by greatly reducing their chances of predation.     

Role of prey and intraspecific density dependence on the population growth of an avian top predator

Exploring predator–prey systems in diverse ecosystems increases our knowledge about ecological processes. Predator population growth may be positive when conspecific density is low but predators also need areas with prey availability, associated with competition, which increases the risk of suffering losses but stabilises populations. We studied relationships between European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus (prey) and adult eagle owls Bubo bubo (predators) in south-western Europe. We assessed models explaining the predator population growth and stability. We estimated the abundance of rabbits and adult eagle owls during three years in eight localities of central-southern Spain. We explored models including rabbit and adult eagle owl abundance, accounting for yearly variations and including the locality as a random variable. We found that population growth of adult eagle owls was positive in situations with low conspecific abundance and tended to be negative but approaching equilibrium in situations of higher conspecific abundance. Population growth was also positively related to previous summer rabbit density when taking into account eagle owl conspecific abundance, possibly indicating that rabbits may support recruitment. Furthermore, abundance stability of adult eagle owls was positively related to previous winter–spring rabbit density, which could suggest predator population stabilisation through quick territory occupation in high-quality areas. These results exemplify the trade-off between prey availability and abundance of adult predators related to population growth and abundance stability in the eagle owl–rabbit system in south-western Europe. Despite rabbits have greatly declined during the last decades and eagle owls locally specialise on them, eagle owls currently have a favourable conservation status. As eagle owls are the only nocturnal raptor with such dependence on rabbits, this could point out that predators may overcome prey decreases in areas with favourable climate and prey in the absence of superior competitors with similar foraging mode.     

Helminth Communities of Owls (Strigiformes) Indicate Strong Biological and Ecological Differences from Birds of Prey (Accipitriformes and Falconiformes) in Southern Italy

We compared the helminth communities of 5 owl species from Calabria (Italy) and evaluated the effect of phylogenetic and ecological factors on community structure. Two host taxonomic scales were considered, i.e., owl species, and owls vs. birds of prey. The latter scale was dealt with by comparing the data here obtained with that of birds of prey from the same locality and with those published previously on owls and birds of prey from Galicia (Spain). A total of 19 helminth taxa were found in owls from Calabria. Statistical comparison showed only marginal differences between scops owls (Otus scops) and little owls (Athene noctua) and tawny owls (Strix aluco). It would indicate that all owl species are exposed to a common pool of ‘owl generalist’ helminth taxa, with quantitative differences being determined by differences in diet within a range of prey relatively narrow. In contrast, birds of prey from the same region exhibited strong differences because they feed on different and wider spectra of prey. In Calabria, owls can be separated as a whole from birds of prey with regard to the structure of their helminth communities while in Galicia helminths of owls represent a subset of those of birds of prey. This difference is related to the occurrence in Calabria, but not Galicia, of a pool of ‘owl specialist’ species. The wide geographical occurrence of these taxa suggest that local conditions may determine fundamental differences in the composition of local communities. Finally, in both Calabria and Galicia, helminth communities from owls were species-poor compared to those from sympatric birds of prey. However, birds of prey appear to share a greater pool of specific helmith taxa derived from cospeciation processes, and a greater potential exchange of parasites between them than with owls because of phylogenetic closeness.     

Population fluctuations of the house mouse in a Peruvian loma and the functional response of burrowing owls

Abstract In this study, we show that the house mouse (Mus musculus) is the most abundant small mammal in the National Reserve of Lachay in central Peru, and that its large population fluctuations are independent of seasonality. Also, we found that M. musculus is the main small mammal prey of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) in Lachay, and that owls respond functionally to mouse abundance. In addition, vegetation cover seems to have a strong effect on small mammal predation by burrowing owls, and possibly other predators such as eagles and foxes. We propose the hypothesis that burrowing owls in arid environments can survive several months eating only arthropods, but that their reproduction is synchronized with a highly nutritious diet, provided by small mammal consumption. The principal prediction of this alternative prey hypothesis is now supported by our data from a tropical ecosystem.     

Impact of habitat fragmentation on activity and hunting behavior in the tawny owl, Strix aluco

I examined the effect of woodland fragmentation on activityand hunting behavior in the tawny owl. I made three predictionson the effect of fragmentation, two of which were upheld andone rejected. Over 2 years, 24 owls were radio tracked in thenonbreeding season. Eight of these were in continuous woodlandand the rest in highly fragmented woodland. For each owl, Irecorded data on small mammal availability, diet, home rangesize, perch time, and interperch distance. In accordance withthe first two predictions, owls in fragmented woodlands hadlonger interperch distances and perch times, but contrary tothe third prediction, perch times were positively correlatedwith small mammal density. This was thought to be due to owlsaltering their hunting to other prey types when small mammalswere scarce. Within fragmented woodlands, perch times were thesame between the sexes, but males had slightly greater interperchdistances than females. Male owls in fragmented woods flew 40%further per hour than males in continuous woodland. For datathroughout the night, food availability and area of trees inhome range accounted for 65% of the variation in perch times.For data before 2200 h, area of trees alone accounted for thesame amount of variation. The data suggest that habitat fragmentation,particularly through reducing woodland area, can greatly influenceowl activity and hunting behavior.     

Habitat Use and Selection by California Spotted Owls in a Postfire Landscape

ABSTRACT Forest fire is often considered a primary threat to California spotted owls (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) because fire has the potential to rapidly alter owl habitat. We examined effects of fire on 7 radiomarked California spotted owls from 4 territories by quantifying use of habitat for nesting, roosting, and foraging according to severity of burn in and near a 610-km²fire in the southern Sierra Nevada, California, USA, 4 years after fire. Three nests were located in mixed-conifer forests, 2 in areas of moderate-severity burn, and one in an area of low-severity burn, and one nest was located in an unburned area of mixed-conifer-hardwood forest. For roosting during the breeding season, spotted owls selected low-severity burned forest and avoided moderate- and high-severity burned areas; unburned forest was used in proportion with availability. Within 1 km of the center of their foraging areas, spotted owls selected all severities of burned forest and avoided unburned forest. Beyond 1.5 km, there were no discernable differences in use patterns among burn severities. Most owls foraged in high-severity burned forest more than in all other burn categories; high-severity burned forests had greater basal area of snags and higher shrub and herbaceous cover, parameters thought to be associated with increased abundance or accessibility of prey. We recommend that burned forests within 1.5 km of nests or roosts of California spotted owls not be salvage-logged until long-term effects of fire on spotted owls and their prey are understood more fully.     

Movement and direction of movement of a simulated prey affect the success rate in barn owl Tyto alba attack

The present study was aimed at testing a novel idea, that rather than maximizing their distance from a predator during close-distance encounters, prey species are better off moving directly or diagonally toward the predator in order to increase the relative speed and confine the attack to a single available clashing point. We used two tamed barn owls Tyto alba to measure the rate of attack success in relation to the direction of prey movement. A dead mouse or chick was used to simulate the prey, pulled to various directions by means of a transparent string during the owl's attack. Both owls showed a high success rate in catching stationary compared with moving food items (90% and 21%, respectively). Success was higher when the prey moved directly away, rather than towards the owls (50% and 18%, respectively). Strikingly, these owls had 0% success in catching food items that were pulled sideways. This failure to catch prey that move sideways may reflect constraints in postural head movements in aerial raptors that cannot move the eyes but rather move the entire head in tracking prey. So far there is no evidence that defensive behavior in terrestrial prey species takes advantage of the above escape directions to lower rates of predator success. However, birds seem to adjust their defensive tactics in the vertical domain by taking-off at a steep angle, thus moving diagonally toward the direction of an approaching aerial predator. These preliminary findings warrant further studies in barn owls and other predators, in both field and laboratory settings, to uncover fine predator head movements during hunting, the corresponding defensive behavior of the prey, and the adaptive significance of these behaviors.     

Auditory prey location in a pause--travel predator: search height, search time, and attack range of Tengmalm's owls (Aegolius funereus)

We studied the nocturnal hunting and diurnal roosting behaviorof 17 radio-equipped Tengmalm's owls (Aegolius funereus), 12males and 5 females, in coniferous forest during their nestingseason. The owls perched lower when hunting than when roosting,probably because hunting perches were selected to minimize thepredator-prey distance or to obtain unobstructed access to theground-dwelling small mammal prey, whereas roosting percheswere selected to minimize the probability of being detectedby an avian predator. There was no difference between perchingheights associated with giving up and prey attack, nor werethere any differences between perching heights, perching times,and attack distances associated with successful and unsuccessfulattacks. There were no sexual differences in perching heightduring hunting or roosting. However, giving-up times tendedto be longer for females than for their mates, which is expectedbecause females are larger than males, and the relative costof flight increases with body mass. The instantaneous attackrate was independent of perching time. The owls gave up theirperches at a constant rate and independently of the amount oftime already spent on the perch in an exponentially decayingpattern. The owls perched longer, however, before launchingan attack than before giving up, probably in order to observedetected prey until the right moment for an attack. Attack distancewas independent of both perching height and perching time. Perchingtime was inversely related to perching height, which fits thetheoretical expectation that the search area will decrease withincreasing height in birds that locate prey auditorily.     

Reproductive responses of temperate and boreal Tengmalm's Owl Aegolius funereus populations to spatial and temporal variation in prey availability

Environmental variation across space and time can strongly influence life‐history strategies in vertebrates. It has been shown that the reproductive success of birds of prey is closely related to food availability. However, relatively little is known about intraspecific differences in reproductive success of birds in relation to varying ecological conditions across environmental gradients. We investigated the reproductive performance of Tengmalm's Owls Aegolius funereus in a temperate (Czech Republic, 50°N) and a boreal (Finland, 63°N) population in relation to long‐term variations in the abundance of their main prey (small rodents). Prey densities at the northern site were much higher, but there were also large inter‐annual fluctuations and years with steep summer declines of vole densities. Northern owls laid larger clutches but offspring production per nest was similar at both study sites. This resulted from higher nestling mortality in the northern population, especially in nests established later in the season. Despite much greater nesting losses due to predation by Pine Martens Martes martes, productivity at the population level was about four times greater at the temperate site, mainly due to the much higher breeding densities compared with Finland. Tengmalm's Owls at the temperate study site may benefit from relatively stable prey abundance, a more diverse prey community that offers alternative prey during vole scarcity, longer nights in summer that allow more time for foraging, and a lower level of interspecific competition with other vole‐specialized predators.     

Bird predation by tawny owls (Strix aluco L.) and its effect on the reproductive performance of tits

The density of great tit Parus major L. and blue tit Parus caeruleus L. was artificially increased by placing nest-box colonies for these species in the vicinity of the nests of breeding tawny owls during 1993–1997. Bird prey composition in the owl nests, the proportion of parents disappearing from the breeding tit populations and the reproductive performance of the widowed parents were analysed. The frequency of predation on tits by tawny owls was greater in areas where tit density had been artificially increased. Owls preyed more on tits during the feeding period of owlets than during the incubation period and more in years when snow covered the ground during the incubation period than when it did not. Mortality due to predation was male biased and more females lost their mates in populations breeding near tawny owl nests. Reproductive performance of the widowed parents was lower and their body weights were lighter at the end of the nestling period than those found in birds rearing youngs with their mates. Predation by owls increased the between-year turnover in the breeding tit population: widowed parents did not return to the nesting site for the next breeding season.     

Urban to forest gradients: Suitability for hollow bearing trees and implications for obligate hollow nesters

Resource availability is a limiting factor influencing the distribution and composition of faunal communities. Globally, hollow bearing trees are a resource required by wildlife at all trophic levels, and are used for a diverse range of ecological functions. In the northern hemisphere avian species act as primary hollow excavators, whereas the southern hemisphere must rely on complex interactions between stochastic events, and eventual decay. Hollow formation is therefore a slow process in the southern hemisphere. In contrast, hollow loss is quite rapid and influenced greatly by anthropogenic impacts. To identify the ecological characteristics driving hollows over an urban to forest gradient as a resource for the powerful owl (Ninox strenua) and its prey we used presence‐only modelling. The potential for an area to support tree hollows suitable for powerful owls and their prey was linked to the density of ephemeral rivers, land cover, tree cover and distance from riparian vegetation. The potential for large hollows throughout the landscape, suitable for the powerful owl, was also influenced by density of permanent rivers. Potential habitat for tree hollows, capable of supporting powerful owls and their prey was greatest in forested environments, declining with increased urbanization. However the urban region still supported some smaller tree hollows suitable for arboreal marsupials. Managing for urban dwelling species, is not as simple as retaining old hollow producing trees or providing alternate nesting structures. We also need to mitigate increased mortality associated with built environments (e.g. electrocution, collisions).     

Predictive models of habitat preferences for the Eurasian eagle owl Bubo bubo: a multiscale approach

Habitat preference of eagle owls Bubo bubo were examined through comparing habitat composition around 51 occupied cliffs and 36 non-occupied cliffs in Alicante (E Spain). We employed Generalized Linear Models to examine patterns of habitat preference at three different spatial scales: nest site (7 km²), home range (25 km²), and landscape (100 km²). At the nest site scale, occupied cliffs were more rugged, had a greater proportion of forest surface in the surroundings, and were further from the nearest paved road than unoccupied cliffs. Additionally, probability of having an occupied cliff increased when there was another occupied territory in the surroundings. At both the home range scale and the landscape scale, high probabilities of presence of eagle owls were related to high percentages of Mediterranean scrubland around the cliffs, which are the preferred habitat of European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus , the main prey of the owls. We suggest a hierarchical process of habitat selection in the eagle owl concerning suitable trophic resources at the broadest scales and adequate sites for breeding and roosting at the smallest scale. However, it should be noted that some structural features such as the proximity of roads were not necessarily avoided by the owls, but their presence were possibly constrained by systematic killing of individuals. Our paper provides new evidence for the requirement of multi-scale approaches to gain insight into both the different limiting factors for the persistence of populations and the role of individual perception of the environment in the evolution of habitat selection.     

FIRST ANNUAL REPORT ON THE RHODESIAN ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S NEST RECORD SCHEME FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE, 1956

MENDELSOHN, J. M. 1989. Habitat preferences, population size, food and breeding of six owl species in the Springbok Flats, South Africa. Ostrich 60:183-190.

Information on the habitat preferences, population size, food and breeding of Barn, Grass, Whitefaced, Marsh, Pearlspotted and Spotted Eagle Owls was obtained in a 6900-ha area in the Springbok Flats, South Africa. Seventy-two per cent of the area consisted of cultivated fields not usually used by owls. Hunting, roosting and nesting requirements were largely met in 1930 ha of verges, farmyards and patches of wood land ant grassland, here was an estimated total population of 303 owls in the area, giving an overall density of 22,7 ho/owl for the whole area or 6.4 ha/owl for those areas used by owls. These high densities were attributed to an abundance of Mastomys natalensis, the most important prey item for all except Pearlspotted Owls. Rates of predation on M. natalensis varied in relation to their population density, as indicated by rodent trapping results. Marsh Owls ate more insects in summer than at other times. Barn and Marsh Owls usuall laid in March-April and August-September, while other species started breeding in July-October. de timing of breeding of some owls may be related to changes in rates of recruitment of juvenile M. natalensis. Most Marsh Owl nests were placed on the southwestern sides of grass clumps or shrubs.     

Patterns of abundance variation in reef fishes near an artificial reef at Guam

Synopsis Development of the fish community on a submerged 16 m barge and variation in fish abundance on nearby transects were surveyed twice monthly for twenty months. A steady increase in abundance was observed for certain fishes on the barge, whereas a few species exhibited distinct seasonal variation on both the barge and transects. Most of the seasonal species settled between March and May.Some seasonal species appeared to be site selective in their settlement and consequently settled juveniles were clumped in their distribution. An abundance of preferred topographical features may be why settlement was relatively high at the study site and indirectly why predators became significantly (r₃ = 7.67^***, N = 37) more abundant at the study area during the months of maximum prey settlement. Concurrent settlement of several species during the same few months may be important because juveniles become an abundant food source to predators during those few months only. Periodic swamping of predators by abundant juvenile prey may improve the chances for individuals of rarer prey species to be overlooked and therefore be succesfully recruited.     

Prey susceptibilities,prey utilization and variable attack efficiencies of Ural owls

Summary To investigate the factors that influence prey utilization among predators with active prey, three series of experiments were performed in which Ural owls (Strix uralensis) searched for and attacked three prey species of wild mice, Microtus montebelli, Apodemus speciosus, and A. argenteus, in a large flight cage. Over the whole study, owls attacked mice about ten times a night. The number of attacks on each prey species did not differ from that predicted by a random attack model. M. montebelli was taken more than either Apodemus species. Prey utilization appears to be influenced by prey susceptibilities only and it is unlikely that prey selection by the owls affected prey utilization patterns. Under the experimental conditions, random attack is predicted by optimal foraging theory. However, random attack may be explained just as well by the inability of the owl to discriminate prey type. The owls, energy gain was adjusted not by alteration in the number of attacks on a prey species but rather by alteration in the capture success between experiments. Capture success increased in poor food conditions for the same prey species. This flexibility in capture success has not been considered in the assumptions of optimal foraging theory. In conventional optimal foraging theory, the probability of capture success is implicitly assumed as constant and unity. We suggest that this assumption is inadequate to understand the foraging behavior of owls.     

Numerical and functional response of predators to a long-term decline in mammalian prey at a semi-arid Neotropical site

Summary Occurrence and diet of ten carnivorous predators (four falconiforms, four owls, and two foxes), and population levels of their mammalian prey, were monitored over 45 months at a semi-arid site in north-central Chile. Early in this period, small mammals irrupted and then declined markedly to a density 7% of that at peak. All four falconiforms (Buteo polyosoma, Falco sparverius, Geranoaetus melanoleucus, Parabuteo unicinctus) and one owl (Tyto alba) responded numerically to the decline in mammalian prey by virtually abandoning the study site. The three other owls (Athene cunicularia, Bubo virginianus, Glaucidium nanum) and the two foxes (Pseudalopex culpaeus and P. griseus) remained. With few exceptions, throughout the study predators maintained species-specific preferences among small mammal species regardless of the absolute and proportional abundance of these prev. At no time did the two prey species most responsible for the irruption (the rodents Phyllotis darwini and Akodon olivaceus) occur in predators' diets out of proportion to their estimated relative abundance in the field. Predators were clearly unable to prevent the irruption from occurring. Given the absence of a clear functional response to the most irruptive species, predators seemed unlikely to have been responsible for the observed crash. At present, however, predators may be prolonging the crash and delaying the return of small-mammal populations to typical densities.