I would be pleased to know if there is published information on the amount of prey a owl may consume per night
To my knowledge most owl eat between 3 and 6 mice per night.
Please check these researchgate links.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262415594_Secondary_poisoning_of_captive_barn_owls_Tyto_alba_javanica_through_feeding_with_rats_poisoned_with_chlorophacinone_and_bromadiolone
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275208417_The_contribution_of_the_Barn_owl_Tyto_alba_feeding_ecology_to_confirm_bat_species_occurrence_in_north_Portugal
Article Secondary poisoning of captive barn owls Tyto alba javanica ...
Article The contribution of the Barn owl (Tyto alba) feeding ecology...
Dear Collegue
Our result in Tyto alba in Cuba are here:
Reference: López-Ricardo, Y. and R. Borroto-Páez. 2012. Alimentación de la Lechuza (Tyto alba furcata) en Cuba central: Presas introducidas y autóctonas. Tesis de Diploma, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana. 84 pp.
Our results were that, considering MNI (minimum number of individual in remains), an owl could eat until 11 Mus musculus in one day (N=2, 1.1% of the samples). The more frequently was 4-5 individual for day (19.6 to 20.1%) from 175 pellets analyzed. The 93.3% of the pellets presented 1 to 8 house mice. see below
the tesis is in my Researchgate profile
Ratón (Mus musculus)
No. individuos, Frecuencia, (%)
1, 3, (1,7)
2, 26, (14,5) (93,3)
3, 31, (17,3)
4, 35, (19,6)
5, 36, (20,1)
6, 18, (10,1)
7, 11, (6,1)
8, 10, (5,6)
9, 3, (1,7)
10, 3, (1,7)
11, 2, (1,1)
In captivity is known that owl consume a mean of 60.5g of mice for day (it represent round 10% of their body mass. This daily consumes produce 1 to1.7 pellets (egagropilas) with a weigh of 3.2g (see reference). In wildlife the owl consume around 110g of food but depend of different variable (sex, size, season etc)(see Marti 1973 and 1974).
Martí, C. D. 1973. Food Consumption and pellet formation rates in four owl species. The Wilson Bulletin. 85(2): 178-181.
Martí, C. D. 1974. Feeding ecology of four sympatric owls. Condor. 76: 45-61.
It will depend on which species of owl and what location they are in. For example, Eastern Screech-Owls in the southern United States have quite a varied diet (rodents, birds, lizards, salamanders, invertebrates), where as northern birds take mostly rodents. Diet can also differ seasonally. In Eastern Screech-Owls, the availability of prey often determines their diet. They generally consume 25%-30% of their body weight daily. I am sorry my answer is not more specific. The most work has probably been done with Barn Owls, and the references the other respondents have provided are good ones.
Hi Emiliano,
if you want we can take these information about owls (Barn, Little, Tawny and Long-eared) in Umbria from our data-bank.
What species of mice are you interested in? Do you mean a specific species or all small rodent’s group?
Angela & Andrea
hI GUYS,
it was just for a friend of mine... but I solved! Many thanks!!!!
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