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25 February 2019 Diet and Prey Delivery of Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) During the Breeding Season in the Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico
Gabriel Ruiz Ayma, Alina Olalla Kerstupp, Antonio Guzmán Velasco, José I. González Rojas
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Abstract

We studied the diet and prey delivery behavior of Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) during the breeding season in the southeastern Chihuahuan desert, Mexico. The diet of the Burrowing Owl included 8 orders, 13 invertebrate families, and 5 genera of mammals, gastropods, reptiles, and birds. By frequency, invertebrates (Orthoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera) were the most common prey, with vertebrates making up a much smaller proportion. However, by biomass, owls consumed mainly vertebrates (56.7%). Among invertebrates, the families Tenebrionidae and Acrididae accounted for 33.2% of the total consumed biomass. Females delivered more prey items than males (55.6% and 44.4%, respectively). Our observations contribute to our knowledge of the ecology of this owl in a region where it has been little studied.

© 2019 The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc.
Gabriel Ruiz Ayma, Alina Olalla Kerstupp, Antonio Guzmán Velasco, and José I. González Rojas "Diet and Prey Delivery of Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) During the Breeding Season in the Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico," Journal of Raptor Research 53(1), 75-83, (25 February 2019). https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-17-90
Received: 13 November 2017; Accepted: 19 September 2018; Published: 25 February 2019
KEYWORDS
Athene cunicularia
behavior
biomass
burrowing owl
Chihuahuan Desert
diet
grassland
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