Vol. 75 (3) 2023

ARTICLES

New Data on the Mammal Diet of the Barn Owl Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) (Strigiformes: Tytonidae) in the Southern Region of Albania

Gligor Paspali1,*, Ferdinand Bego2 & Halil Nora1

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*1Department of Biological, Environmental and Food Sciences, Eqrem Çabej University, Gjirokaster, Albania;
E-mail: glipaspali@gmail.com
2Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Albania

https://doi.org/10.71424/azb75.3.002675

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Abstract
During 2018-2019, the mammal diet of the barn owl (Tyto alba) in the southern region of Albania was studied. A considerable number of barn owl pellets has been collected, of which 1200 specimens of terrestrial small mammals (TSM) have been identified as belonging to 13 species (four insectivore and nine rodent species). Although the diet composition differed spatially from one station to another, the prey species preferred by the barn owl, both as frequency and biomass, were Microtus thomasi, Mus macedonicus, Crocidura suaveolens and Apodemus sylvaticus. In the southernmost region of Albania (Aliko), where the highest number TSM species was recorded, a drastic decline of M. thomasi was noted, accompanied with a significant shift in the barn owl prey preference. The study is a continuation of the previous studies undertaken in the same region since 2004 and provides new data on the dietary habits of the barn owl as well as on the distribution and population dynamics of TSM.

Key words
barn owl, diet, terrestrial small mammals, dynamics

How to Cite
Paspali G., Bego F. & Nora H. 2023. New Data on the Mammal Diet of the Barn Owl Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) (Strigiformes: Tytonidae) in the Southern Region of Albania. Acta zoologica bulgarica 75 (3) 351-357.

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