Dietary Analysis of the Barn Owl. Why? Barn Owl decrease in Pennsylvania and throughout its range 1...

Dietary Analysis of the Barn Owl

Why?Barn Owl decrease in Pennsylvania and throughout its range

1st PA Breeding Bird Atlas 1983-89

2nd atlas 2004-2008

Barn Owl aka Monkey-Faced Owl

Owl Pellets• Not poop!• Undigested bones and fur• Pellet ejection at the nest

Meadow Vole Microtus pennsylvanicus

Likely things you’ll find...

• Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus• Masked Shrew, Sorex cinereus• Star-nosed Mole, Condylura cristata

Meadow VoleMicrotus pennsylvanicus

• Herbivore• Widespread• Active year-round,

mostly nocturnal• ~5 pups, 1-5 times

per year

Meadow Vole

Masked ShrewSorex cinereus

• Maximum size ~8 grams

• Active year round• May eat own

weight in a day

Masked Shrew

Sorex monticolus

Sorex monticolus

Star-nosed Mole

Southern Red-Backed VoleMyodes gapperi

House MouseMus musculus

White-footed MousePeromyscus leucopus

Deer MousePeromyscus maniculatus

Meadow Jumping MouseZapus hudsonius

Woodland Jumping MouseNapaeozapus insignis

Northern Short-tailed ShrewBlarina brevicauda

Masked ShrewSorex cinereus

Eastern CottontailSylvilagus floridanus

Eastern ChipmunkTamias striatus

Norway RatRattus norvegicus

European StarlingSturnus vulgaris

House SparrowPasser domesticus