Seasonal variation in the diet of the long-eared owl (Asio otus) in a northeastern agricultural area of Greece

As high predators in many ecosystems, owls may be valuable indicators of the environmental health of those ecosystems (Oliphant, 1994). Owls are sensitive to a number of environmental factors among which prey is of outstanding importance (Gutiérrez et al., 1984; Noble et al., 1993). Therefore, detailed and long-term studies on their diet can be instrumental to their conservation (Galbraith et al., 1992). Knowledge on the species’ food habits has contributed to a better understanding of their ecology and behaviour, as well as to the proper management of their habitat (Petty et al., 2000; York et al., 2002; Tsahalidis et al., 2004; Marchesi & Sergio, 2005). Being an opportunistic species, owls primarily rely on the abundance and easy capture of their prey, which means that their prey choice is not only dependent on spatial factors but is also temporary (habitat and season of the year) (Jaksić & Marti, 1981; Seckin & Coskun, 2006). Seasonal variation in their prey has been attributed to seasonal changes in vegetation cover that may make some species susceptible to owl predation (Fairley, 1967; Marti, 1974). Alternatively, prey variation may be due to the seasonal variation in the abundance and activity of the small mammals (Taylor, 1994). The long-eared owl, Asio otus (Linnaeus, 1758) is present in almost the entire northern hemisphere (North America, Eurasia, and North Africa). It prefers tree clusters or edges of coniferous forests and parks adjacent to open agricultural areas and meadows, which are important hunting habitats for the species (Mikkola, 1983; Cramp, 1989). In Greece, the species winters and breeds in many mainland areas and on some large islands (Handrinos & Akriotis, 1997). Although its food habits have been widely studied in northern and central Europe, only a few published studies have addressed this issue in the south of the continent (Alivizatos & Goutner, 1999; Rubolini et al., 2003; Alivizatos et al., 2005). Seasonal variation in the diet of the long-eared owl (Asio otus) in a northeastern agricultural area of Greece

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