![]() Here, we characterize the diet of these two raptors and analyze their trophic specialization and dietary selectivity using published information, pellet analysis, and field abundances of small mammals. The nocturnal Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and the diurnal White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) appear to be the most significant predators of this species. The long-tailed rice rat Oligoryzomys longicaudatus is a reservoir and vector of Hantavirus, a disease of increasing importance in various Latin American countries. Raptors are important predators of various species of small mammals, which renders them of economic importance since their prey may be either disease vectors or reservoirs which represent health problems, or economically important through the damage they cause to crops and stocks. Ecological elements involved in this pattern are discussed. It was emphasized the predominant presence of mammals (rodents 81.9%), followed by birds (passerines 9.6%), and to a lesser extent, by invertebrates (3.6%). This was studied through the systematic collection of pellets and further analysis in laboratory. Abstract The Barn owl (Tyto alba) diet is described in an agroecosystem located at 20 km South of Mulchén, in south-central Chile. Son discutidos los elementos ecológicos que intervienen en el patrón dietario observado. Se destacó la presencia predominante de mamíferos (roedores 86.74%), seguido por aves (passeriformes 9.6%) y en una menor proporción, por invertebrados (3.6%). Ésta fue estudiada a través de la colecta sistemática de egagrópilas y posterior análisis de los restos de presas no digeridos presentes en éstas en laboratorio. Resumen Se describe la dieta de la lechuza blanca (Tyto alba) en un agroecosistema ubicado a 20 km al sur de Mulchén, en el centro-sur de Chile. Both the Simpson (SI = 0.1683) and Shannon (H’= 0.8958) indices indicate that this species consumes a low diversity of prey, which is consistent with the observations for others raptors inhabiting on arid environments. Regarding biomass, rodents contributed more significantly (95.3%) than birds (3.5%), with the largest individual contribution given by A. There was no significant correlation between frequency of prey and their body mass (r2= 0.229, p= 0.497) and between frequency of prey and their habitat (r2= 0.538, p= 0.088), indicating that this raptor does not select its preys by either body size or habitat. ![]() Other preys corresponded to birds (17.8%) and coleopterans (3.3%). In the case of Tyto alba populations from the Atacama region, the most consumed species were rodents (76.7%), specially Eligmodontia dunaris (27.3%), Phyllotis darwini (24%) and Abrocoma bennetti (12.4%). Because of the environmental conditions of extreme aridity a low diversity of prey, typical of raptors from arid ecosystems, was expected. ![]() This information was compared to available data from Chile and neighboring countries. We studied the diet of the Barn Owl, by analyzing of pellets collected in Copiapó valley, located in the hyper-arid Atacama Desert. The diet of this bird is the best known of any raptor of Chile it is based on small vertebrates, particularly rodents and birds. Aves y anfibios fueron componentes menores de su dieta.The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is a nocturnal raptor species distributed from Arica to Tierra del Fuego in Chile. Como otros estudios en la región neotropical, la lechuza blanca en nuestro estudio consumió presas más grandes que la misma especie en las zonas templadas. Sigmodon hispidus fue la más común presa en términos de la frecuencia de hallazgo y biomasa, siendo consumidos en menor número otros roedores. La dieta fue compuesta principalmente de pequenos mamiferos. Recogimos las egagrópilas y restos de presas en sitios de percha entre 1997-1998. En este estudio examinamos la dieta de la lechuza blanca en Gold Button Lagoon en Belice septentrional. / La dieta de la lechuza blanca (Tyto alba) ha sido bien estudiada en regiones templadas en el mundo, pero hay una notable escasez de datos de los neotrópicos. Birds and amphibians were a minor component of diet. Similar to other reports for the Neotropics, barn owls in our study consumed relatively larger prey than conspecifics inhabiting temperate regions. Sigmodon hispidusvms the most common prey in terms of frequency of occurrence and biomass, with lesser numbers of other rodents being consumed. Diet was composed primarily of small mammals. Pellets and prey remains were collected at roosting sites during 1997-1998. In this study, we examined diet of barn owls at Gold Button Lagoon in northern Belize. Diet of the barn owl (Tyto alba) has been well studied in temperate regions of the world, but there is a notable paucity of dietary data from the Neotropics.
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