The food habits of the barn owl Tyto alba at three sites on Madagascar

Regurgitated food remains of the barn owl Tyto alba were collected within the rain forest of the Eastem Region of Madaascar (Andasibe and Manombo) and in the sub-arid thorn scrub of the Western Region (Beza Mahafaly). The material from Andasibe and Manombo represent single point samples, while 24 samples were collected from Beza Mahafaly between November 1990 and November 1991. A minimum of 176 individual vertebrates, representing 18 taxa, was identified from the Andasibe sample, and a minimum of 90 individual vertebrates of 5 taxa from the Manombo sample. The Beza Mahafaly samples included a minimum of 1013 individual vertebrates of 22 taxa. At all three sites introduced rodents made up the bulk of the prey by number and by biomass, but at Beza Mahafaly lemurs and amphibia were also significant prey items. Insects constituted a small proportion of the prey. The results from these sites are compared with records of barn owl prey from mainland Africa.