Food Habits of Long-Eared Owls (Asio otus) at a Winter Communal Roost in Texas

Abstract

Abstract We analyzed mammalian prey from owl pellets recovered at a winter roost of long-eared owls (Asio otus) in northwestern Irion County, Texas. Of 1,232 prey identified, the most common species were cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus, 36%), plains harvest mice (Reithrodontomys montanus, 23%), deer mice (unidentified Peromyscus, 14%), and pygmy mice (Baiomys taylori, 10%). Approximately 80% of the biomass of the diet was the cotton rat. Other important prey were Crawford's gray shrews (Notiosorex crawfordi, 7%), hispid pocket mice (Chaetodipus hispidus, 6%), and Merriam's pocket mice (Perognathus merriami, 2%). These species are rare in the reported diet of long-eared owls and represent the first information on winter food habits in Texas in the southern portion of the range of this owl.