Invertebrate-biased diet of burrowing owls in a newly-restored coastal grassland

Invertebrate-biased diet of burrowing owls in a newly-restored coastal grassland

Blog Article

Recovering biodiversity across trophic levels is a major challenge in restoration ecology.Specifically, predator population recovery depends on the timely re-establishment of their preferred prey species in restored habitats.Here, we evaluate potential dietary factors Grinder Cleaner contributing to the loss of western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea (Bonaparte, 1825)) from a newly-restored coastal grassland.

We examined owl pellets and found that burrowing owl diets were relatively low in vertebrate prey during their brief money box occupation of the restoration site (2.6% of prey items; found in 61.8% of sampled pellets).

We suggest that preferred food limitation may have been one contributor to the loss of owls from the restoration site.These findings suggest the need to prioritise re-establishment of prey communities for effective long-term recovery of burrowing owls in restored landscapes.