Abstract
Comparative analysis of long-eared owl (Asio otus) winter diet from two european cities – Chisinau (Republic of Moldova) and Bacau (Romania)
Highlights
Many rodent species are important pests for agriculture and for urban areas
The nocturnal prey birds are regulatory species that contribute to maintaining rodent density at more or less constant level
Bacau city is the major city of Bacau county, with the surface of 43.19 km2, situated in eastern part of Romania at the altitude of 165 m, coordinates 46035ꞌ N 26055ꞌ E
Summary
Many rodent species are important pests for agriculture and for urban areas. The long-eared owl is a predator that exerts constant pressure on rodent density. The studies were performed in winters of 2011-2013 in the cities of Chisinau and Bacau, where 599 and 82 pellets of Asio otus were collected, respectively. Long-eared owl’s diet in both sites consists of mammals and birds, with rodents being the dominant trophic component. The prey diversity was higher in Chisinau, that was due to a larger city territory and to a higher number of wintering long-eared owls. The close values of trophic niche width in Chisinau and Bacau confirmed the high hunting specialization of the long-eared owl. The nocturnal prey birds are regulatory species that contribute to maintaining rodent density at more or less constant level. The long-eared owl is well adapted to anthropic environment and its wintering colonies are frequently registered in urban localities [4]
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