‘Some like it alien’: predation on invasive ring–necked parakeets by the long–eared owl in an urban area

[EN] Predation pressure by native species may limit the spread of alien invasive species, thus playing a pivotal role in the impact and implementation of management strategies. The ring–necked parakeet Psittacula krameri is one of the most widespread alien bird species in Europe, with nearly 70 esta...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Mori, Emiliano, Malfatti, L., Le Louarn, Marine, Hernández-Brito, Dailos, ten Cate, B., Ricci, M., Menchetti, Mattia
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/219055
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/219055
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Urban environments
Asio otus
Psittacula krameri
Invasive species
Predation pressure
Especie invasora
Entornos urbanos
Depredación
http://metadata.un.org/sdg/11
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] Predation pressure by native species may limit the spread of alien invasive species, thus playing a pivotal role in the impact and implementation of management strategies. The ring–necked parakeet Psittacula krameri is one of the most widespread alien bird species in Europe, with nearly 70 established populations. Predators of this species include diurnal raptors, synanthropic corvids, and rodents. Here we report for the first time that long–eared owls Asio otus might have preyed upon parakeets in their night roosts. Analysis of 167 owl pellets showed that ring–necked parakeets made up over 10 % of the total volume of the diet of these owls in winter (32.93 % of absolute frequency), representing the most important prey species after murid rodents and passerine birds. Further studies are needed to investigate whether parakeet consumption by long–eared owls is only a local occurrence or whether it is widespread in European cities. If so, predation by long–eared owl may eventually lead to a form of parakeet control and may limit the impact of this introduced parakeet on native biodiversity.