Barn Owl (Tyto alba) prey in Evros (Greece) and the discovery of a new mammal for the Greek fauna

ABSTRACT

Small mammals are key elements of terrestrial ecosystems, yet in south-eastern Europe many questions about their taxonomy and distribution remain unanswered. This is particularly true for the small mammal fauna of Greece. We investigated the distribution of small mammals in the district of Evros (NE Greece) through Tyto alba pellet analysis and live-trapping in 19 localities (29 samplings). We collected remains from a total 2434 individual vertebrates through pellet analyses and captured 110 small mammals through live trapping. We provide data on the distribution and community composition in the corresponding localities, for 17 small mammal species (11 rodents and 6 insectivores). Our findings include the first record of Myomimus roachi in Greece, a result facilitated by the yearly dynamics of Microtus sp. populations, as well as the first record of Sorex minutus in Evros. The Barn owl’s main prey (by percentage, allocated to genera) were Crocidura (29.7%) Mus (27%) Microtus (23.2%) and Apodemus (13%).