Diet of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) from Chaddra-Akkar, Northern Lebanon

Pellets, regurgitated by the Barn Owl, Tyto alba, were collected from Chadra-Akkar region in northern Lebanon. Pellets analyses yielded remains of 249 individuals, representing nine mammalian species and one species of a passerine bird. Small mammals constituted 96.4% of its diet (90.4% rodents and 6.0% insectivores), while birds constituted 3.6%. Günther s Vole, Microtus guentheri, and the House Mouse, Mus domesticus/macedonicus, were the most abundant prey items, representing 34.4% and 32.1% of the total number of recovered prey items respectively. The number of prey items per one pellet ranged from 1-6 individuals (Average 2.15 ±1.23 skull/pellet, N= 55).