Investigation on Diet of Long-Eared Owl (Asio Otus) Inhabiting Fatih Natural Park (Turkey)

Year 2019, , 859 - 865, 30.09.2019

Tarkan Yorulmaz , Nurhan Arslan

https://doi.org/10.17798/bitlisfen.547018

Cited By: 3

Abstract

Pellet analyses were used to identify small
mammal species in the diet of this owl species in order to reveal its
ecological role. In this study, 706 pellets of Asio otus were collected from 3 different localities in Fatih
Natural Park between February and March 2014. Pellets were dissolved by using
3% NaOH solution and then bones were dehydrated and identified. The aim of this
study was to determine mammal composition in the diet of Asio otus inhabiting Fatih Natural Park of Yozgat Province, Turkey.
Residues of bone from 1293 individuals/preys corresponding to 42377.41 g biomass in total were
detected as the result of analysis. These individuals were identified to
belonging to 12 mammal species (Crocidura
suaveolens, Suncus etruscus, Microtus hartingi/lydius, Microtus levis, Microtus sp., Cricetulus migratorius,
Mesocricetus brandti, Apodemus sp., Apodemus sylvaticus, Apodemus
whitherbyi, Mus macedonicus, and Meriones tristrami) from 3 families and
8 genera. Microtus hartingi/lydius,
which is known as agricultural pest, was dominant in the diet of Asio otus. When diversity of mammal
species within the food composition was examined, Asio otus nesting in forest was found to primarily prefer
agricultural and steppe areas, and was also found in woody and bushy areas. The
use of Asio otus can be taken into
consideration when dealing with rodent species known as agricultural pests.

Keywords

Asio otus, Diet, pellets, small mammals, Yozgat

References

• Rubolini D., Pirovano A., Borghi S. 2003. Influence of seasonality, temperature and rain fall on the winter diet of the long-earedowl. Folia Zoologica, 52: 67-76.
• Seçkin S., Coşkun Y. 2006. Mammalia nremains in the pellets of Long-Eared Owls (Asio otus) in Diyabakır province. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 30: 271-278.
• Romanowskil J., Zmihorski M. 2009. Seasonal and habitat variation in the diet of the tawny owl (Strix aluco) in Central Poland during unusually warm years. Biologia, 64: 365-369.
• Obuch J.1994. Diet of Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) in selecte dregions of Bohemia and Moravia. Sylvia, 30: 77-85.
• Steiner H.M., Vauk G. 1966. Säugetiereaus dem Beyşehir-Gebiet (Konya, Kleinasien). Zoologi scher Anzeiger, 176: 97-102.
• Morgan D. 1983. An analysis of some Eagle Owl pellets from Turkey. Sandgrouse, 5: 105-106.
• Hoppe N. 1986.Pellet contents of the Barn Owl, near Samandağ, Turkey. Zoology in the Middle East, 1: 29-31.
• Kasparek M. 1985. Die Sultans sümpfe. Naturge schich teeines Vogel paradieses in Anatolien. Heidelberg, Germany.
• Kasparek M. 1986. On the distribution and systematic position of the Barn Owl, Tyto alba, in Turkey and adjacentareas. Zoology in the Middle East,1: 44-51.
• Kock D. 1990. Notes on mammals (Insectivora, Rodentia) taken by the Tawny Owl in NW Turkey. Zoology in the Middle East, 4: 5-9.
• Nadachowski A., Smielowski J., Rzebikkowalska B., Daoud A. 1990. Mammals from the Near East in Polish collection. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 33: 91-120.
• Gezici V. 2009. Niğde, Nevşehir ve Aksaray illerden toplanan pelletlerle Strigiformes (Classis: Aves) ordosu üyelerinin besin analizi (Unpublishedmaster’sthesis). Niğde Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Niğde, Türkiye (in Turkish).
• Bulut Ş., Akbaba B., Ayas Z. 2012. Analysis of mammal remains from owl pellets (Asio otus), in a suburban area in Beytepe, Ankara. Hacettepe J. Biol. &Chem., 40: 233-237.
• Seçkin S., Kaya A., Coşkun Y. 2012. Başaklı Köyü (Diyarbakır-Bismil) civarında yaşayan puhu (Bubo bubo)’ların peletlerin deki küçük memelilerin dağılımı. C.Ü. Fen Fakültesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi, 33: 1 (in Turkish).
• Hızal E. 2013. Diet of the Long-eared Owl, Asio otus, in Central Anatolia (Aves: Strigidae). Zoology in the Middle East, 59: 118-122.
• Kaya A., Coşkun Y. 2014. Nevşehir’de Baykuş Peletlerindeki Memeli Hayvan Kalıntılarının Dağılımı. Nevşehir Bilim ve Teknoloji Dergisi,3: 39-44 (in Turkish).
• Schueler F.W. 1972. A new method of preparing owls pellets boiling in NaOH. Bird Banding, 43:142.
• Yalden D.W. 2009. The Analysis of Owl Pellets. Southampton, UK: The Mammal Society.
• Yiğit N., Çolak E.2002. On the distribution and taxonomic status of Microtus guentheri (Danford and Alston, 1880) and Microtus lydius Blackler, 1916 (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 26: 197-204.
• Kryštufek B., Vohralík V. 2001. Mammals of Turkey and Cyprus.Order Insectivora. Knjižnica Annales Majora.
• Demirbaş Y., Pamukoğlu N. 2008. The Bioecology of Meriones tristrami Thomas, 1892 in Kırıkkale Province (Mammalia: Rodentia). IJNES, 2: 39-44.
• Gözütok S., Albayrak I. 2009. Biologyand ecology of the species of the genus Microtus (Schrank, 1798) in Kırıkkale province (Mammalia: Rodentia). IJNES, 3: 94-101.
• Yorulmaz T., Albayrak İ. 2009. Studies on the morphology and karyology on the genus Apodemus from Turkey, with some notes on the bioecology. IJNES, 3: 32-38.
• Pamukoglu N., Albayrak I. 1996. The rodents of Kastamonu Province (Mammalia: Rodentia). Commun Fac Sci Univ Ank Series C, 14: 1-22.
• Osborn D.J. 1965. Hedgehogs and shrews of Turkey. Proc. United States Nat. Mus., 117: 553-566.
• Tez C. 2000. Taxonomy and distribution of white-toothed shrews (Crocidura) (Soricidae: Insectivora: Mammalia) of Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology 24: 365-374.
• Kefelioğlu H., Krystufek B. 1999. The taxonomy of Microtus socialis group (Rodentia: Microtinae) in Turkey, with the description of a new species. J Nat Hist., 33: 289-303.
• Coşkun Y. 1999. Diyarbakır Meriones tristrami Thomas, 1892 (Rodentia: Gerbillidae) Örneklerinin Morfolojik Özellikleri. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 23: 345-355.
• Yiğit N. 2003. Age-Dependent Cranial Variations in Mesocricetus brandti (Mammalia: Rodentia) Distributed in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 27: 65-71.
• Kryštufek B., Vohralik V. 2009.Mammals of Turkey and Cyprus. Rodentia II: Cricetinae, Muridae, Spalacidae, Calomyscidae, Capromyidae, Hystricidae, Castoridae. Knjižnica Annales Majora.
• Yiğit N., Markov G., Çolak E., Kocheva M., Saygılı F., Yüce D., Çam P. 2012. Phenotypic features of the “Guentheri” group vole (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Turkey and the Southeast Bulgaria: Evidence forits taxonomic detachment. Actazool bulg., 64: 23-32.
• Markov G., Csorba G., Kocheva M., Gospodinova M. 2014. Skull features of the common vole (Microtus arvalis sensulato) from Hungary: cranio metrical evidencef orits taxonomic detachment. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 36: 283-290.
• Coşkun Y., Kaya A. 2013. Additional record of Suncus etruscus (Savi, 1822) (Mammalia: Soricidae) from Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey. IUFS Journal of Biology, 72: 31-35.
• Anonymus, 2017. Bitki Sağlığı 2017 Yılı Uygulama Programı Kitabı. T.C. Gıda Tarım ve Hayvancılık Bakanlığı, Gıda ve Kontrol Genel Müdürlüğü, Ankara, Türkiye (in Turkish).