Abstract
This study examines prey selection by Magellanic horned owls (Bubo magellanicus) in an ecotonal steppe area of northwestern Argentine Patagonia, and analyzes morphological and behavioral traits of the owls’ main rodent prey. The owl’s diet was studied for two years, along with field estimates of rodent abundance. The frequency distribution of rodents was significantly different from that estimated from trapping, indicating that Magellanic horned owl behaved as a selective predator. Eligmodontia morgani and Abrothrix xanthorhinus, the smallest species inhabiting open areas, were consumed in lower proportion than their occurrence estimated from the trapped sample, whereas the larger Abrothrix longipilis and Oligoryzomys longicaudatus, which inhabited bushy habitats, were eaten in a greater proportion than their estimated abundance. It is suggested that distinctive morphological and behavioral characteristics among prey interacting with the owl hunting strategy, accounted for their differential vulnerability to predation.
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Acknowledgements
We thank M. Christie for allowing access to the small mammal collection belonging to Plan Inventario (Administración de Parques Nacionales, Argentina). We wish to thank D. Lozada for helping with the translation of this manuscript, and to V. Cussac for helping with the statistics. R. Figueroa and J. Rau gave us important bibliography. We are also very grateful to L. Ebensperger, J. E. Jiménez, S. J. Petty and J. Rau. and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and help through the writing of this manuscript.
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Trejo, A., Guthmann, N. & Lozada, M. Seasonal selectivity of Magellanic horned owl (Bubo magellanicus) on rodents. Eur J Wildl Res 51, 185–190 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-005-0097-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-005-0097-9