Prey of Small Mammal-Eating Owls (Strix nebulosa, Bubo bubo) As a Source of Selective Accumulation of Palaeotheriological Material

The accumulation of prey remains in the pellets of the great gray owl in the winter and nesting periods was studied over a number of years at the contact of the taiga and northern forested steppe belts in the Trans-Urals. It is shown which of the characteristics of the hunting territory and the popu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences 2021-12, Vol.48 (Suppl 1), p.S118-S131
Main Authors: Smirnov, N. G., Kropacheva, Yu. E., Zykov, S. V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Bubo bubo
Cell Biology
Ecology
Feces
Food selection
Habitat selection
Life Sciences
Owls
Prey
Small mammals
Strix nebulosa
Taiga
Zoology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The accumulation of prey remains in the pellets of the great gray owl in the winter and nesting periods was studied over a number of years at the contact of the taiga and northern forested steppe belts in the Trans-Urals. It is shown which of the characteristics of the hunting territory and the population of small mammals have the greatest effect on the composition and ratio of prey species. A comparison with the results of the feeding activity of the eagle owl was also made. Published information concerning four places of long-term nesting on rocks in the river valleys of the western slope of the Middle Urals in similar natural conditions was used as well. Selective accumulation of prey remains of these two owl species was revealed to lie in a small number of the main prey species, those mostly populating open habitats. In both owls, mammal species of closed forest (transitional) habitats served as concomitant (secondary) prey. The eagle owl was characterized by a large size range of prey. Special attention was paid to the indicator roles the concomitant prey play in paleoreconstructions.
ISSN:1062-3590
1608-3059
DOI:10.1134/S106235902114017X