Diet of Barn Owl (Tyto alba) using Pellets from Jordan Valley, West Bank
Summery
In total of 109 prey items were retrieved from the whole barn owl pellets, an eight species were found to be the diet use in breeding season for the barn owl,four mammals: Meriones libycus, Mus musculus, Rattus rattus, and Acomys dimidiatus), three birds (Passer hispaniolensis) and other two unknowns, and one insects belong to the family Scarabaeidae from one pellet.
The Barn owl shows a strange diet in their pellets comparing with other studies related to its pellets analysis from different part of the world, and the same country, we believe that better understanding and study of this species in the Jordan Valley could help us to understand how we can use this species as a positive and affective biological control to save agriculture lands and reduce using insecticide and other chemicals to kill rodents, and in the other hand save this species of owls and become more closer to save the environment.
Authors: Saed L. Al Shomali1 and Elias N. Handal2&3