Perch height and the hunting success of the Indian Eagle Owl Bubo bengalensis (Franklin) (Aves: Strigiformes: Strigidae) targeting anuran prey.

Abstract

Investigation into the predation of a pair of Indian Eagle Owls on anurans disclosed the fact that the greatest success (52.17%) was when the owls pounced from a height of less than 2m and the lowest (12.5%) was from a height of 5–6 m. No success was recorded when the owls pounced from over a height of 6m or when they tried wading in water to catch their prey. Overall, 146 pounces were observed and the strike success was 28.7%.

Keywords

• Anurans
• prey spectrum
• perch height
• pounce
• Puducherry
• strike success.