La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Spatial variation in the diet of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in the Caribbean
Auteurs :	Maarten Flikweert, Auteur ; Tineke G. Prins, Auteur ; John A. de Freitas, Auteur ; Vincent Nijman, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Ardea (95(1) SPR 2007)
Article en page(s) :	75-82
Résumé :	On Bonaire we assessed Barn Owl Tyto alba diets at four discrete sites. The 233 fresh pellets contained 755 identifiable prey items from four taxonomic orders. Average prey diversity differed two- to threefold between sites. Dietary composition showed large spatial variations between sites, from predominantly insectivorous to avian. Between-island variation was assessed by comparing the dietary composition of populations of Barn Owls on nine islands throughout the Caribbean region as reported in the literature. On 8/9 islands mammals (mainly rodents and bats) formed the main diet. On half of the islands about a fifth or more of the prey comprised birds. Reptiles and/or insects were eaten on 5/9 islands, but rarely dominated the diet. These large within-island dietary differences reflect differential prey availabilities in the Caribbean, possibly enhanced locally by specialisation.

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