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Main and Concomitant Prey of the Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) in Problems of Historical Ecology

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Abstract

This paper considers mass materials related to the feeding of the eagle owl from three latitudinal regions of the Urals (northern and southern taiga and steppe). All collections were carried out in the same type of location of bone remains of prey from pellets at the nesting grounds of eagle owls in niches and caves at cliffs along riverbanks. The prey of the eagle owl is divided into three categories: main, alternative, and concomitant. The paper shows the degree of correspondence of the proportions of individuals of different species and their groups in the diet of the eagle owl and the population of rodents in the environs of nesting areas. The importance of separate consideration of the main and other prey of the eagle owl in reconstruction of the composition of the fauna and structure of the rodent population based on subfossil ornithogenic materials is emphasized.

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Funding

The work was performed as part of the state order of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and was also partially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project nos. 19-04-00507 and 19-04-01008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 620144, Yekaterinburg, Russia

    N. G. Smirnov & Yu. E. Kropacheva

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  1. N. G. Smirnov
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  2. Yu. E. Kropacheva
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Correspondence to N. G. Smirnov.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. This article does not contain any studies involving animals performed by the authors.

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Translated by L.A. Solovyova

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Smirnov, N.G., Kropacheva, Y.E. Main and Concomitant Prey of the Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) in Problems of Historical Ecology. Russ J Ecol 50, 491–495 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1067413619050102

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