<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The diet of Rufous-legged Owl, <italic>Strix rufipes,</italic> a small raptor present in an Andean protected area, is described here. During the fall of 2017, 44 pellets were collected in the study area, being subsequently analyzed. The occurrence of small mammal prey items in pellets was compared with capture frequencies with live-trapping through Sherman traps. Regarding occurrence frequencies in the diet, arthropods were the most frequent (49.34%), followed by mammals (39.31%), birds (7.86%) and reptiles (3.37%). However, in terms of biomass, mammals had the highest biomass contribution. The observed frequency of consumed preys showed a random pattern, according to the captures of small mammals obtained with Sherman traps. The role of wildfire in the composition of prey in the observed trophic spectrum of these forest owls is also discussed.</p>
</abstract>

The diet of Rufous-legged Owl, Strix rufipes, a small raptor present in an Andean protected area, is described here. During the fall of 2017, 44 pellets were collected in the study area, being subsequently analyzed. The occurrence of small mammal prey items in pellets was compared with capture frequencies with live-trapping through Sherman traps. Regarding occurrence frequencies in the diet, arthropods were the most frequent (49.34%), followed by mammals (39.31%), birds (7.86%) and reptiles (3.37%). However, in terms of biomass, mammals had the highest biomass contribution. The observed frequency of consumed preys showed a random pattern, according to the captures of small mammals obtained with Sherman traps. The role of wildfire in the composition of prey in the observed trophic spectrum of these forest owls is also discussed.

Food habits of Rufous-legged Owl in a protected area of south-central Chile affected by mixed wildfire

Departamento de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Forestales

Departamento de Gestión Agraria y Medio Ambiente

Ornis Hungarica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The diet of Rufous-legged Owl, Strix rufipes, a small raptor present in an Andean protected area, is described here. During the fall of 2017, 44 pellets were...

Food habits of Rufous-legged Owl in a protected area of south-central Chile affected by mixed wildfire

Published Online: Dec 09, 2023

Page range: 236 - 242

Received: Sep 28, 2023

Accepted: Oct 26, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/orhu-2023-0033

Keywords
biomass, disturbances, selectivity, trophic behavior, rodents

© 2023 Alfredo H. Zúñiga et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Food habits of Rufous-legged Owl in a protected area of south-central Chile affected by mixed wildfire

Published Online: Dec 09, 2023

Page range: 236 - 242

Received: Sep 28, 2023

Accepted: Oct 26, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/orhu-2023-0033

Keywordsbiomass, disturbances, selectivity, trophic behavior, rodents

© 2023 Alfredo H. Zúñiga et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
biomass, disturbances, selectivity, trophic behavior, rodents