Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

First data on the short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) prey in Patagonia (Argentina)

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Ornithology Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) has a wide distribution across the world, and it inhabits open lands, grasslands, and marshes. Small mammals are its main prey, but it also feeds on other food items according to seasonal variations. Despite its wide distribution, little information about its food habits has been published in Argentina and none for Patagonia. In this study, we report the analysis of nine pellets of this species for a site located 6 km north of Puerto Madryn city (Chubut, Argentina). This area is located in the Monte Phytogeographical Province and has a flooded place with sewage water, invasive weeds, and herbaceous vegetation. We measured pellets and disaggregated them using hot water; all prey remains were identified to the finest taxonomic level. We found 49 prey items: 73.5% of small mammals (mainly native rodents and marsupials) and 26.5% of insects (mainly spider wasps); small mammals were the prey that contributed the most to biomass (99.2%). Our results are consistent with previous works carried on the southern distribution of this species, where rodents were the most consumed prey and the main item to biomass. However, we found the lowest percentage for rodents in comparison with other studies in southern South America. We did not record birds among prey, although this item was found in previous studies. Despite we analyzed a small sample, this study is the first contribution for Argentinean Patagonia on the diet of A. flammeus, a species with a wide geographic distribution that lacked of food habits data in this region.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aravena RO (1928) Notas sobre la alimentación de las aves. Hornero 4:153–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baladrón AV, Cavalli M, Cardoni DA (2014) Presas del nuco (Asio flammeus) en un área de pastizal pampeano de Argentina. Bol Chil Ornit 20:33–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Calladine J, Morrison N (2013) Diurnal and nocturnal ranging behaviour by moorland-breeding short-eared owls Asio flammeus in Scotland. Bird Study 60:44–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2012.736471

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chebez JC, Pardiñas UFJ, Teta P (2014) Mamíferos terrestres de la Patagonia, Sur de Argentina y Chile. Vazquez Mazzini Editores, Buenos Aires

  • Cirignoli S, Podestá D, Pardiñas UFJ (2001) Diet of the short-eared owl in northwestern Argentina. J Rapt Res 35:68–69

    Google Scholar 

  • Diéguez AJ (1996) Aves depredadas por Asio flammeus suida, en Saladillo, provincia de Buenos Aires. APRONA 30:25–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Esmoris A, Pagnoni G (2022) Primer registro de nidificación del lechuzón de campo (Asio flammeus) en la provincia de Chubut, Argentina. Nótulas Faunísticas 341:1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuentes MA, Simonetti JA, Sepúlveda MS, Acevedo PA (1993) Diet of the red-backed buzzard (Buteo polyosoma exsul) and the short-eared owl (Asio flammeus suinda) in the Juan Fernández Archipelago of Chile. J Rapt Res 27:167–169

    Google Scholar 

  • Genovesio R, Luiselli S, Salto C (2011) Ingesta de adultos de cinco especies de tucuras (Orthoptera: Acrididae) en condiciones semicontroladas. Fave, Sección Ciencias Agrarias 10:35–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant PR, Smith NM, Abbott IJ, Abbott LK (1975) Finch numbers, owl predation and plant dispersal on Isla Daphne Major, Galapagos. Oecologia 19:239–257. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00345308

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grayson DK (1984) Quantitative zooarchaeology. Topics in the analysis of archaeological faunas. Studies in Archaeological Science, Academic Press, Inc., NY U.S.A

  • Holt DW (1993) Trophic niche of nearctic short-eared owls. Wil Bull 105:497–503

    Google Scholar 

  • León RJC, Bran D, Collantes M, Paruelo JM, Soriano A (1998) Grandes unidades de vegetación de la Patagonia extra andina. Ecol Aust 8:123–141

    Google Scholar 

  • Marks JS, Cannings RJ, Mikkola H (1994) Family Strigidae (Typical owls). In: del Hoyo J, Elliot A, Sargatal J (eds) Handbook of the birds of the world, vol 2. new world vultures to guineafowl. Lynx Editions, Barcelona, España, pp 76–242

    Google Scholar 

  • Marti CD, Bechard MJ, Jaksic FM (2007) Food habits. In: Bird DM, Bildstein KL (eds.). Raptor research and management techniques. Hancock House. WA U.S.A., pp 129–151

  • Martínez DR, Figueroa RA, Ocampo CL, Jaksic FM (1998) Food habits and hunting ranges of short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) in agricultural landscapes in southern Chile. J Rapt Res 32:111–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Massoia E (1985) Análisis de regurgitados de Asio flammeus del arroyo Chasicó. Acintacnia: 2(15) INTA

  • Povedano H, Bisheimer MV (2016) Aves terrestres de la Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego e Islas del Atlántico Sur. C.A.B.A., Argentina. 1ª Edición de los autores

  • Rau JR, Villagra MC, Mora ML, Martínez DR, Tillería MS (1992) Food habits of the short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) in South America. J Rapt Res 26:35–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Salvador S (1984) Roedores en la dieta de algunas aves. Nuestras Aves 5:7–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva SI, Lazo I, Silva-Aranguiz E, Jaksic FM, Meserve PL, Gutierrez JL (1995) Numerical and functional response of burrowing owls to long-term mammal fluctuations in Chile. J Rapt Res 29:250–255

    Google Scholar 

  • Torres JC, Teta P, de la Sancha NU (2014) Presas del búho campestre (Asio flammeus) en un agroecosistema subtropical de Paraguay. Nuestras Aves 59:24–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vassallo AI, Kittlein MJ, Busch C (1994) Owl predation on two sympatric species of tuco-tucos (Rodentia: Octodontidae). J Mamm 75:725–732. https://doi.org/10.2307/1382522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiggins DA, Holt DW, Leasure SM (2020) Short-eared owl (Asio flammeus), version 1.0. In: Billerman SM (ed) Birds of the world Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.sheowl.01

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank two anonymous reviewers and the associate editor that helped to improve this manuscript. We are grateful to Dirección de Flora y Fauna (Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería, Industria y Comercio, provincia del Chubut) for providing field work and research permissions; we also thank Udrizar Sauthier D., Cheli G., Martínez F., and Castelli L. for helping with body mass and prey identification.

Funding

This work was partially funded by CONICET.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales (IPEEC CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina

    Anahí Elizabeth Formoso

  2. Fundación Bosques Nativos Argentinos para la Biodiversidad, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina

    Agustín Esmoris

Authors
  1. Anahí Elizabeth Formoso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Agustín Esmoris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anahí Elizabeth Formoso.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Communicated by Cristiano Azevedo

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Formoso, A.E., Esmoris, A. First data on the short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) prey in Patagonia (Argentina). Ornithol. Res. 32, 49–51 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43388-023-00161-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43388-023-00161-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation