Diet of the Long-eared Owl in Alborz, Esfahan and Hamedan provinces through pellet analysis with emphasis on rodents

The Long-eared Owl Asio otus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves: Strigidae) was previously considered as a rare bird species in Iran but its population has increased in recent years. Raptors, in particular owls regurgitate undigested remains in the form of cylinder called pellet. In this study, 744 pellets were collected from Karaj, Esfahan and Hamedan areas. After collection of pellets and transferring them to the laboratory, they were cleaned, numbered, measured and weighed. Then, these pellets were wetted by alcohol. Pellets were dissected and skulls and other animal remains were extracted, labeled and identified. In total, rodents were present in 551 pellets (74.06%), birds in 211 pellets (28.36%), Insectivora in 20 pellets (2.69%) and insects in 13 pellets (1.75%). Among 583 rodent prey items identified, 231 items were from the genus Mus (39.62%), 152 items from Microtus (26.07%), 133 items from Cricetulus (22.81%), 47 items from Meriones (8.06%) but less item numbers were from the genera Rattus, Nesokia and Rhombomys (2.40%, 0.69% and 0.34%, respectively). The dominant prey in Karaj was Microtus (54.37%), in Hamedan was Mus (43.80%) and in Esfahan was Cricetulus (35.15%). Because the Long-eared Owl can inhabit in agricultural ecosystems and near human settlements, it can be recruited to control rodents in agricultural fields.