Reproductive activity and diet of Tyto alba in artificial nesting sites in Portuguesa, Venezuela
Keywords:
animal diet, biological control, birds of prey, reproduction, rodentsAbstract
Fifty-seven artificial nests were evaluated to obtain data on the reproduction and diet of Tyto alba (barn owls). The evaluation was conducted every 15 days from September 2013 to May 2014 to record: occupation percentage, clutch size, number of nestlings raised, and reproductive success. Pellets were collected to determine: prey species, number of individuals per species, proportion of male and female individuals, and the relationship between pellet weight and the number of nestlings raised. The occupation percentage was 15.79 %, with one clutch, an average of eggs and nestlings of 4.56±1.94 and 3.5±1.51, respectively, and a reproductive success of 68.29 %. 13.44 kg of pellets were collected, and 1,514 individuals were counted. Rodents accounted for 1,503 individuals (99.27 %), all of which were species associated with rice cultivation. In contrast, birds, bats, and insects were represented by 11 individuals (0.73%). There were differences in the number of individuals per species (F=15.3, P=0.0002). Zygodontomys brevicauda was the most abundant (50.23 %), followed by Sigmodon alstoni (24.41%), Holochilus sciureus (11.64 %), and Oligoryzomis sp (2.59 %), with 11.11 % unidentified. 1,290 coxal bones were found, of which 661 were complete (314 males and 347 females) (a 1:1 ratio) and 629 were broken. There was an association between pellet weight and the number of nestlings (r=0.7685, P=0.0250). The occupation of the nests was low; however, reproductive success was within the estimated range for T. alba. Rodents associated with the crop were present in a higher percentage in the diet of T. alba.
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