Diet Composition of the Austral Pygmy Owl in a Peri-Urban Protected Area in South-Central Chile

Abstract

The diet of the Austral Pygmy Owl, Glaucidium nana, a small raptor, was studied by pellet analysis. During fall of 2020, 52 pellets were collected in a peri-urban protected area. Amongst 122 prey items, Muridae, represented exclusively by the alien species Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus, made up 35.24 % by number and 67.1 % of the biomass, followed by native Cricetidae, at a 37.69 % by number and 17.9 % by biomass. In the last place in relative frequency were birds and arthropods. The biomass contribution was unequal among the different prey, being the alien prey the group with the highest profit. The role of the landscape in the composition of prey in the observed trophic spectrum is discussed.

Keywords

• austral pygmy owl
• biomass
• diet composition
• landscape transformation
• trophic behavior
• rodents