The impact of vegetation characteristics and prey availability on breeding habitat use and diet of Little Owls Athene noctua in Central European farmland

0351739 - ÚVGZ 2011 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Šálek, Martin - Riegert, J. - Křivan, V.
The impact of vegetation characteristics and prey availability on breeding habitat use and diet of Little Owls Athene noctua in Central European farmland.
Bird Study. Roč. 2010, č. 57 (2010), s. 495-503. ISSN 0006-3657. E-ISSN 1944-6705
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60870520
Keywords : Central Europe * diet composition * habitat choice * insect prey
Subject RIV: EG - Zoology
Impact factor: 1.011, year: 2010

Based on number, insects were the most dominant prey, followed by small mammals; based on weight, insects comprised only a minor part of the diet. Among insect prey, Carabidae beetles were the most abundant. The proportion of insect numbers was strongly positively correlated with advancing day of the season and negatively correlated with the proportion of vertebrates. Although the highest densities of Carabidae were found in cornfields Little Owls significantly preferred grassland habitats, probably because of the lower vegetation cover.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0191427