Response of Eastern Barn Owls Tyto alba delicatula to changes in prey abundance in north-western Victoria
| Posted: |
22/10/2025 |
| Author(s): |
John G. McLaughlin, S. J. S. Debus |
The diet of the Eastern Barn Owl Tyto alba delicatula, and the owls’ response to changes in its prey population, were studied by JGM in north-western Victoria in 1987-88 by owl pellet analysis, owl population survey and live-trapping of House Mice Mus musculus. The owls preyed almost entirely on House Mice (96%, n = 867 items in 217 pellets) during high mouse densities and a subsequent crash in mouse numbers. The owls increased their consumption of mice during winter as the mouse population declined; the few other dietary items were also taken after the crash. Owl numbers tracked changes in mouse density; owls did not breed on the study site after the mouse crash, and the owls ultimately left the site. Barn Owls did not regulate the mouse population on the site at high mouse densities.
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