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Turkish Journal of Zoology

Abstract

The long-eared owl (Asio otus) is a widespread nocturnal raptor found across the Holarctic, inhabiting a variety of wooded habitats with adjacent open areas. While the species is not globally threatened, its population is declining, which is primarily attributed to threats such as habitat degradation, pesticide use, hunting, and disturbance. Although winter breeding has been documented in several European countries, no such records have been reported from Türkiye up to date. In this study, we compiled 11 records of winter breeding long-eared owls from northwest and central Türkiye, based on our field observations and data from rehabilitation centers. The estimated laying dates ranged from November to January, with nests located primarily in coniferous plantations located in suburban, urban, and natural sites experiencing moderate levels of human disturbance. We estimated hatching dates using an aging guide and back-calculated laying periods based on incubation time and egg-laying intervals. To the best of our knowledge, these cases represent the earliest recorded laying dates for the species in Türkiye. However, fledging success appeared lower than reported elsewhere in Europe, with high failure rates across the detected broods. While climate change seems to be the major driver of shifts in avian breeding phenology, such as the case presented here, the fitness consequences of winter breeding in long-eared owls remain largely unknown. Our findings provide the first evidence of winter breeding in long-eared owls in Türkiye and highlight the need for further research into the ecological drivers and fitness consequences of this behavior.

Author ORCID Identifier

ALAZ USLU: 0000-0001-6673-7265

GENCER YAPRAK: 0000-0001-8436-2727

SALİH BENZEYEN: 0000-0002-4009-297X

ALPER TÜYDEŞ: 0009-0004-9301-7035

İBRAHİM ÖZGENCİL: 0000-0002-5189-162X

DOI

10.55730/1300-0179.3229

Keywords

Breeding phenology, climate change, laying dates, nestlings, raptor ecology

First Page

241

Last Page

246

Publisher

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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