Abstract
'Prey thawing,' a hitherto unknown behavior of boreal owls (Aegolius funereus), saw-whet owls (A. acadicus), and possibly other species of birds of prey, is described. Experiments with saw-whet owls showed that frozen prey is thawed, before feeding begins, by the owls assuming a posture on top of the prey similar to that during incubation of eggs. Close agreement was found between the temperatures to which a mouse is heated before consumption (average of 1.5 °C) and the temperature at which the owls can eat a mouse without first thawing it (about −1 °C). This is supporting evidence to show that frozen food is thawed to facilitate consumption. The duration of 'prey thawing' and the total heat transfer to the frozen prey was determined for mice at −1.1, −6.4, and −16.2 °C. 'Prey thawing' could be a substantial energy drain on the owl, but it is probably an adaptively essential behavior.
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