Abstract

MASSA, Carolina; GABELLI, Fabián M.  and  CUETO, Gerardo R.. Using GPS tracking to determine movement patterns and foraging habitat selection of the Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba). Hornero [online]. 2015, vol.30, n.1, pp.07-12. ISSN 0073-3407.

For the first time a Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba) individual was tracked using a GPS technology to evaluate the use of a commercial and economic GPS pet tracker device, and to test GPS tracking as a technique for determining movement patterns and foraging habitat selection. A GPS pet tracker device was removed from its plastic frame and attached to the back of an adult male. The device recorded during eight consecutive nights a total of 12501 waypoints. The home range, estimated as the minimum convex polygon, was 1746 ha. Tracks obtained allowed the identification of three movement patterns that could be attributed to different behaviours: meandering, linear and point, corresponding to hunting, straight-lined flights and roosting, respectively. The overlap of tracks with a land cover map revealed that the owl selected vegetated areas (except where pigs were present) and barren areas with pigs for hunting. The use of this technique represents an improvement for behavioural studies of this species.

Keywords : Common Barn-owl; Foraging habitat selection; GPS; Movement patterns; Tyto alba.