- Turkish Journal of Zoology
- Vol: 30 Issue: 2
- Food of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in the Yahmool Area, Northern Syria
Food of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in the Yahmool Area, Northern Syria
Authors : Adwan Hussien Shehab, Safwan Mohamed Al Charabi
Pages : 175-179
View : 7 | Download : 3
Publication Date : 9999-12-31
Article Type : Makaleler
Abstract :Pellets regurgitated by the barn owl (Tyto alba) were collected in July 2000 from Yahmool Agricultural research station, 50 km north of Aleppo. Pellet analysis yielded 657 individual prey representing 7 species of rodents, 2 shrews, 1 bird, an unidentified lizard and at least 7 species of insects. By frequency, rodents constituted 84.9% of the prey items, shrews 9.6%, birds 1.5%, insects 3.7% and lizards 0.3%. The social vole, Microtus socials, was the main food of the barn owl, constituting 59.5% of prey items. Pellets' content indicated that the barn owl consumes 1 to 5 prey per day (average 2.53 ± 1.03) depending on availability and the size of prey species.Keywords : Barn owl, Pellets, rodents, small mammals, Syria, Tyto alba