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Diet of the Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia, in two locations of the inter-Andean valley Ecuador

Abstract:

We provide the first detailed description of the diet of Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) for Ecuador, based on an analysis of 408 pellets collected from one locality in the north and one in the south of the central dry Andean Valley. Our results are consistent with previous studies in the Neotropics that document the importance of insects in the diet. Rodents made up 78.8% of the biomass in our sample. Additionally, we highlight the first record of the Andean eared mouse Phyllotis andium in a xeric environment, which was identified in the pellets.