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25 February 2019 The Summer Diet of the Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) in Iceland
Ute Stenkewitz, Ólafur K. Nielsen
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Abstract

The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a rare resident species in Iceland and nests have been found intermittently. Nests are unusual because lemmings (Dicrostonyx spp. and Lemmus spp.), the primary prey of the Snowy Owl across much of its distribution, do not occur in Iceland. We studied summer diets by analyzing pellets from three areas in Iceland where owls were detected; breeding was confirmed at two of these sites. We identified 257 prey items (total mass of 73.6 kg) of at least 13 species. Birds made up most of the diet (96.5% by number). The Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) was the primary prey species (30.4%). Shorebirds were important prey (46.2%), and passerines (5.1%), as well as waterfowl (6.3%), were also taken. Wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus; 2.7%) and Arctic fox pups (Vulpes lagopus; 0.8%) were taken occasionally. Adult prey birds made up 60.3% and nestlings 36.3% of the diet by number.

© 2019 The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc.
Ute Stenkewitz and Ólafur K. Nielsen "The Summer Diet of the Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) in Iceland," Journal of Raptor Research 53(1), 98-101, (25 February 2019). https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-17-95
Received: 20 December 2017; Accepted: 31 July 2018; Published: 25 February 2019
KEYWORDS
breeding
Bubo scandiacus
diet
Iceland
pellet analysis
prey
Snowy Owl
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