Owady w pokarmie puszczyka (Strix aluco) na terenach leśnych w środkowej i północno-wschodniej Polsce

Studies on invertebrates in the diet of the tawny owl were carried out in Rogów, Kampinos and Białowieża forests as well as in the mosaic ecosystems of Biebrza wetlands. Invertebrates were identified on the basis of their remnants found in the pellets. The aim of the study was to answer the two questions: (1) does the tawny owl select its invertebrate prey or is it an opportunist predator, (2) is it possible to characterize places where the owl preys just on the basis of the invertebrate species composition in its diet. As a result we found out that indeed the tawny owl was an opportunist predator towards invertebrates, and also that the invertebrate species composition found in the pellets was a good indicator of the type of hunting habitat as it showed that the owl caught invertebrates in various sites, i.e. tree hollows, rotten trunks, soil litter or open area.