Food of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in Southern Syria

摘要

Pellets regurgitated by the Barn Owl Tyto alba were collected from three different localities in southern Syria. Investigation of 184 complete pellets yielded 407 individual prey. Prey items represented eight species of rodents, two shrews, at least two small birds, and at least three species of insects. As percentages, rodents constituted 85.5% of the prey items, small birds 6.9%, shrews 5.9% and insects 1.7%. By biomass, rodents constituted most of the Barn Owls' diet. Pellet content indicated thatthe Barn Owl consumes 1 to 7 prey individuals per day (2.23 ± 1.34) depending on availability and the size of prey species. The results prove that the Barn Owl is an important natural enemy of agricultural vertebrate pests in its hunting territory.