| Titre : | Adaptive habitat preferences in the Tawny Owl Strix aluco (2017) |
| Auteurs : | Saulius Rumbutis, Auteur ; Daiva Vaitkuviene, Auteur ; Gintarė Grašytė, Auteur ; Mindaugas Dagys, Auteur ; Deivis Dementavičius, Auteur ; Rimgaudas Treinys, Auteur |
| Type de document : | Article |
| Dans : | Bird Study (64(3) July 3, 2017) |
| Article en page(s) : | 421-430 |
| Langues: | Anglais |
| Résumé : | Tawny Owls Strix aluco occupying nest boxes preferred habitats which were positively associated with the probability of nesting success.Aims: We aimed to determine whether or not: (1) Tawny Owls showed habitat preferences when occupying nest boxes; (2) nesting performance was related to the habitats around occupied nest boxes and (3) habitat availability had changed around available and occupied nest boxes between 1995–2004 and 2005–14.Methods: Tawny Owls were studied using nest boxes erected in a commercial forest. During nest boxes checks (724 cases), data on occupancy and nesting performance (88 cases) were recorded, and habitat within a 0.4 km radius around nest boxes was analysed.Results: Tawny Owls had preferences for clearings within forests, mature forests and grasslands but avoided young forests. We found a positive relationship between nesting success and abundance of clearings within the forest, and a negative relationship between nesting success and abundance of young forests. A change in habitat preferences over the two decades was evident, but habitat availabilities remained similar.Conclusions: Findings indicate adaptive habitat selection in Tawny Owls because preferred habitats were associated with higher fitness and this type of habitat became more frequently selected over time. |
| En ligne : | http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00063657.2017.1369001 |



