Diet of the eagle owl (Bubo bubo) in Braşov, Romania

• Main Authors: Attila D Sándor, Dan Traian, A D Sándor
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: eurasian eagle-owl; Microtus arvalis
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1053.8929; http://biozoojournals.ro/nwjz/content/v5.1/nwjz.051117.Sandor.pdf

Abstract. The first detailed food study of the Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) in Braşov, the Transylvanian Basin, Romania is reported. The diet comprised of mostly mammals (20 mammal species, 83.7% by number), with a small proportion of birds (15.9%), reptiles and amphibians (0.3%) and arthropods (0.1%). Rodents dominated the diet spectrum, with rats (Rattus spp.) being the most frequent (38.2%), followed by the Eurasian Hamster (Cricetus cricetus) 16.5%, the Field Vole (Microtus arvalis) 8.3%, as well the group of wood mice species complex (Apodemus spp.) 7%. The mammalian component of the diet was the most important also in terms of biomass (83.4%). Besides the rats and the Common Hamster, the Hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) and the European Hare (Lepus europaeus) were an important component of the diet. Smaller mammals, reptiles, birds and arthropods made up a small portion of the diet in terms of biomass. The diet composition, compared to similar studies, suggests the possible importance of habitat complexity and prey species diversity for the maintenance of eagle owl populations. The results suggest that the Eurasian Eagle Owl is also capable of exploiting species well adapted to urban environments.