CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Understanding the way animals respond to novel habitats and fluctuations in food resources can provide insights into species? abilities to settle in modified habitats. We studied the patterns of arthropod selection by the Burrowing Owl in natural and modified habitats. We assessed the diet of this owl by means of pellet analysis and, simultaneously, we estimated arthropod field relative abundance by trapping. A similar pattern of prey selection and avoidance was found among habitats, being coleopterans the main prey consumed. Food-niche breadth was relatively low at all habitats, reflecting the dominance of a few prey items in the diet of the Burrowing Owl. Its wide trophic spectrum as well as its ability to take advantage of dominant resources suggests that from a feeding perspective the Burrowing Owl has no limitations to colonize and adapt to new human-modified habitats.