Starvation in young Tawny Owls

Abstract

During autopsies of dead tawny owls [Strix aluco] collected as part of a pollution monitoring program, a check was made on the incidence of starvation as assessed from the relationship between pectoralis weight and total body weight. There was a constant linear relationship in healthy birds. Of the 172 bodies handled, 31 (18%) were identified as suffering from starvation, and these were collected mainly between July-Nov. when young owls have become independent of their parents. Wherever these starved birds could be aged, they were juveniles. It was previously ascertained that tawny owl populations are regulated through the territorial intolerance of adults. The deaths of juveniles through starvation are an important consequence of this.