Adwan Hussien SHEHAB, Safwan Mohamed AL CHARABI

Food of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in the Yahmool Area, Northern Syria

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Barn owl, Pellets, rodents, small mammals, Syria, Tyto alba

Food of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in the Yahmool Area, Northern Syria

Keywords:

Barn owl, Pellets, rodents, small mammals, Syria, Tyto alba,

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