Turkish Journal of Zoology
DOI
-
Abstract
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.
Keywords
Barn owl, Pellets, rodents, small mammals, Syria, Tyto alba
First Page
175
Last Page
179
Recommended Citation
SHEHAB, ADWAN HUSSIEN and CHARABI, SAFWAN MOHAMED AL (2006) "Food of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in the Yahmool Area, Northern Syria," Turkish Journal of Zoology: Vol. 30: No. 2, Article 9. Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/vol30/iss2/9
