Prey selection and food habits of breeding Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) in natural and modified habitats of Argentine pampas
Matilde Cavalli A B , Alejandro V. Baladrón A , Juan P. Isacch A , Guadalupe Martínez A and María S. Bó A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Laboratorio de Vertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), CONICET – Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (B7602AYJ), Argentina.
B Corresponding author. Email: mcavalli@mdp.edu.ar
Emu 114(2) 184-188 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU13040
Submitted: 5 December 2012 Accepted: 5 August 2013 Published: 9 December 2013
Abstract
Understanding the way animals respond to novel habitats and fluctuations in food resources can provide insights into the ability of species to settle in modified habitats. We studied the patterns of arthropod selection by Burrowing Owls in natural and modified habitats. We assessed the diet of this owl by means of pellet analysis and, simultaneously, we estimated relative abundance of arthropods in the field by trapping. A similar pattern of prey selection and avoidance was found among habitats, with coleopterans the main prey consumed. Food-niche breadth was low at all habitats, reflecting the dominance of a few prey items in the diet of the Burrowing Owl. Its wide trophic spectrum as well as its ability to take advantage of dominant resources suggests that, from a feeding perspective, the Burrowing Owl can readily colonise and adapt to newly human-modified habitats.
Additional keywords: bird, grassland, insects, South America, urban.
References
Andrade, A., Teta, P., and Contreras, J. (2004). Dieta de la lechucita de las vizcacheras (Athene cunicularia) en el Parque Nacional Médanos del Chaco (Paraguay). Ornitologia Neotropical 15, 87–92.Andrade, A., Nabte, M. J., and Kun, M. E. (2010). Diet of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) and its seasonal variation in Patagonian steppes: implications for biodiversity assessments in the Somuncurá Plateau Protected Area, Argentina. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 45, 101–110.
| Diet of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) and its seasonal variation in Patagonian steppes: implications for biodiversity assessments in the Somuncurá Plateau Protected Area, Argentina.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bellocq, M. I. (1987). Selección de hábitat de caza y depredación diferencial de Athene cunicularia sobre roedores en ecosistemas agrarios. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural (Valparaiso, Chile) 60, 81–86.
Bellocq, M. I., and Kravetz, F. O. (1983). Algunos rasgos de la predación de Athene cunicularia sobre los roedores en agroecosistemas pampeanos argentinos. In ‘IX Congreso Latinoamericano de Zoología. Proceedings of the I Simposio de Ornitología Neotropical’, Arequipa, Peru. (Eds F. G. Styles and F. G. Aguilar.) pp. 55–60. (Asociación Peruana para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Pacific Press S.A.: Lima, Peru).
Berardelli, D., Desmond, M. J., and Murray, L. (2010). Reproductive success of Burrowing Owls in urban and grassland habitats in southern New Mexico. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 122, 51–59.
| Reproductive success of Burrowing Owls in urban and grassland habitats in southern New Mexico.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bilenca, D. N., and Miñarro, F. (2004). ‘Identificación de áreas valiosas de pastizal en las pampas y campos de Argentina, Uruguay y sur de Brasil.’ (Fundación Vida silvestre: Argentina, Argentina.)
Bó, M. S., Baladrón, A. V., and Biondi, L. M. (2007). Ecología trófica de Falconiformes y Strigiformes: tiempo de síntesis. Hornero 22, 97–115.
Carrete, M., and Tella, J. L. (2010). Individual consistency in flight initiation distances in Burrowing Owls: a new hypothesis on disturbance-induced habitat selection. Biology Letters 6, 167–170.
| Individual consistency in flight initiation distances in Burrowing Owls: a new hypothesis on disturbance-induced habitat selection.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 19864278PubMed |
Carrete, M., and Tella, J. L. (2011). Inter-individual variability in fear of humans and relative brain size of the species are related to contemporary urban invasion in birds. PLoS ONE 6, e18859.
| Inter-individual variability in fear of humans and relative brain size of the species are related to contemporary urban invasion in birds.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3MXlt1aisbw%3D&md5=38326f3a572134c2290646d4443b847cCAS | 21526193PubMed |
Carrete, M., Tella, J. L., Blanco, G., and Bertellotti, M. (2009). Effects of habitat degradation on the abundance, richness and diversity of raptors across Neotropical biomes. Biological Conservation 142, 2002–2011.
| Effects of habitat degradation on the abundance, richness and diversity of raptors across Neotropical biomes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Colwell, R. K., and Futuyma, D. J. (1971). On the measurement of niche breadth and overlap. Ecology 52, 567–576.
| On the measurement of niche breadth and overlap.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cooper, R. J., and Whitmore, R. C. (1990). Arthropod sampling methods in ornithology. In ‘Avian Foraging: Theory, Methodology, and Applications: Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Cooper Ornithological Society’, 18–19 December 1988, Asilomar, CA. (Eds M. L Morrison, C. J. Ralph, J. Verner and J. R. Jehl) pp. 29–37. (Cooper Ornithological Society: Los Angeles, CA.)
Crawley, M. J. (2007). ‘The R Book.’ (Wiley: Chichester, UK.)
Green, G. A., Fitzner, R. E., Anthony, R. G., and Rogers, L. E. (1993). Comparative diets of Burrowing Owls in Oregon and Washington. Northwest Science 67, 88–93.
Haug, E. A., Millsap B. A., and Martell M. S. (1993). Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia). In ‘The Birds of North America’. number 61. (Eds A. Poole and F. Gill.) pp. 1–20. (The Birds of North America Inc.: Philadelphia, PA.)
Ivlev, V. S. (1961). ‘Experimental Ecology of the Feeding of Fishes.’ (Yale University Press: New Haven, CT.)
Jaksić, F. M., and Marone, L. (2006). ‘Ecología de Comunidades.’ (Ediciones Universidad Católica de Chile, Segunda Edición Ampliada: Santiago de Chile.)
Jaksić, F. M., and Marti, C. D. (1981). Trophic ecology of Athene owls in mediterranean type ecosystems: a comparative analysis. Canadian Journal of Zoology 59, 2331–2340.
| Trophic ecology of Athene owls in mediterranean type ecosystems: a comparative analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Marti, C. D. (1973). Food consumption and pellet formation rates in four sympatric owl species. Wilson Bulletin 85, 178–181.
Marti, C. D., Bechard, M. J., and Jaksić, F. M. (2007). Food habits. In ‘Raptor Research and Management Techniques’. (Eds D. M. Bird and K. L. Bildstein.) pp. 129–151. (Hancock House: Washington, DC.)
Morrone, J. J., and Coscarón, S. (1998). ‘Biodiversidad de Artrópodos Argentinos: Una Perspectiva Biotaxonómica.’ (Ediciones Sur: Buenos Aires, Argentina.)
Neu, C. W., Byers, R. C., and Peek, J. M. (1974). A technique for analysis of utilization-availability data. Journal of Wildlife Management 38, 541–545.
| A technique for analysis of utilization-availability data.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Newton, I. (1979). ‘Population Ecology of Raptors.’ (Buteo Books: Vermillon, OH.)
Pedrana, J., Isacch, J. P., and Bó, M. S. (2008). Habitat relationships of diurnal raptors at local and landscape scales in southern temperate grasslands of Argentina. Emu 108, 301–310.
| Habitat relationships of diurnal raptors at local and landscape scales in southern temperate grasslands of Argentina.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Plumpton, D. L., and Lutz, R. S. (1993). Prey selection and food habitats of Burrowing Owl in Colorado. Great Basin Naturalist 53, 299–304.
R Development Core Team (2013). ‘R: a Language and Environment for Statistical Computing.’ (R Foundation for Statistical Computing: Vienna, Austria.) Available at http://www.R-project.org [Verified April 2013].
Sánchez, K. B., Malizia, A. I., and Bó, M. S. (2008). Trophic ecology of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) in urban environments of Mar Chiquita Biosphere Reserve (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina). Ornitologia Neotropical 19, 71–80.
Schoener, T. W. (1971). Theory of feeding strategies. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 2, 369–404.
| Theory of feeding strategies.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Shear, A. W. (1986). ‘Spiders, Webs, Behaviour and Evolution.’ (Stanford University Press: Stanford, CA).
Sih, A., Ferrari, M. C. O., and Harris, D. J. (2011). Evolution and behavioural responses to human-induced rapid environmental change. Evolutionary Applications 4, 367–387.
| Evolution and behavioural responses to human-induced rapid environmental change.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Smigel, J. T., and Gibbs, A. (2008). Conglobation in the Pill Bug, Armadillidium vulgare, as a water conservation mechanism. Journal of Insect Science 8, 1–9.
| Conglobation in the Pill Bug, Armadillidium vulgare, as a water conservation mechanism.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 20233103PubMed |
Tuomainen, U., and Candolin, U. (2011). Behavioural responses to human-induced environmental change. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 86, 640–657.
| Behavioural responses to human-induced environmental change.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 20977599PubMed |
York, M. M., Rosenberg, D. K., and Sturm, K. K. (2002). Diet and food-niche breadth of Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) in the Imperial Valley, California. Western North American Naturalist 62, 280–287.