Diet and Hunting Range of Wintering Long-Eared Owls (Asio otus) Depend on Land Use

Simple Summary Long-eared Owls often roost in coniferous trees during winter within human settlements. These owls regurgitate pellets with the remains of their prey. Analysis of the content of these pellets can show what prey is available in the surrounding landscape. We studied whether the amount of built-up land around owl roosts affects the availability of prey for owls. During one winter, we collected large numbers of pellets from a village, a town, and a city in southern Hungary. As built areas increased, open fields and forests decreased, limiting access to the owls’ main prey, especially voles and other small mammals. In more urban places, owls ate a wider variety of prey, but each type made up a smaller share of the diet. The match between prey in the diet and nearby habitats was strongest in the village and weakest in the city. Our results show that owl pellets can help track how land-use changes affect small mammal communities, and they highlight the owl’s valuable role in naturally controlling pest species.