Determinants of traffic mortality of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in Friesland, The Netherlands
Collisions with vehicles can contribute significantly to overall mortality in many species. We aim to clarify causal factors affecting Barn Owl (Tyto alba) mortality along roads in the Province of Friesland, The Netherlands. Although Barn Owl road casualties have received a lot of attention in the p...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Resilience Alliance
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Avian Conservation and Ecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ace-eco.org/vol13/iss2/art2/ |
| _version_ | 1797970856670920704 |
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| author | Johan de. Jong Arnold van den Burg Allan Liosi |
| author_facet | Johan de. Jong Arnold van den Burg Allan Liosi |
| author_sort | Johan de. Jong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Collisions with vehicles can contribute significantly to overall mortality in many species. We aim to clarify causal factors affecting Barn Owl (Tyto alba) mortality along roads in the Province of Friesland, The Netherlands. Although Barn Owl road casualties have received a lot of attention in the past, relationships with food availability and road design have not been clarified. We quantified breeding densities and reproduction rates, and combined these with road casualty records and characterization of road design. We obtained 996 ring-recoveries of Barn Owls (1994-2009), all of which were found dead in Friesland. All locations were accurate to within 100 meters. Along three routes with minor and major roads we made an inventory of road, verge, and hinterland typology. In two other datasets (539 and 461 birds) we analyzed the relationships between road mortality, body mass, and sex ratio. More than 70% of all owl casualties were in their first year of life and 15% in the second year. The highest mortality was in autumn and winter. Sex ratios were equal (232 males, 229 females). Although casualties were on average lighter than live-caught control birds, many of the traffic victims were in good condition. In years of high owl productivity, road mortality was strongly reduced. The number of road victims on major roads was significantly higher than on other road types. Highway junctions and highway-secondary road junctions contributed significantly to the spatial clustering of owl mortality. We conclude that in years when prey availability in the agricultural fields is high, roads/verges are not favored as hunting grounds. Therefore, the best option to reduce owl traffic victims is to improve the quality of farmland as foraging areas, and secondly to make design adjustments at major junctions to reduce owl-traffic collisions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T03:22:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60a6bdf64f654da8ada5825973b6e6cf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1712-6568 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T03:22:32Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Avian Conservation and Ecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-60a6bdf64f654da8ada5825973b6e6cf2023-01-02T08:20:12ZengResilience AllianceAvian Conservation and Ecology1712-65682018-12-01132210.5751/ACE-01201-1302021201Determinants of traffic mortality of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in Friesland, The NetherlandsJohan de. Jong0Arnold van den Burg1Allan Liosi2Working Group Barn Owls NetherlandsBiosphere Science FoundationWorking Group Barn Owls FlevopolderCollisions with vehicles can contribute significantly to overall mortality in many species. We aim to clarify causal factors affecting Barn Owl (Tyto alba) mortality along roads in the Province of Friesland, The Netherlands. Although Barn Owl road casualties have received a lot of attention in the past, relationships with food availability and road design have not been clarified. We quantified breeding densities and reproduction rates, and combined these with road casualty records and characterization of road design. We obtained 996 ring-recoveries of Barn Owls (1994-2009), all of which were found dead in Friesland. All locations were accurate to within 100 meters. Along three routes with minor and major roads we made an inventory of road, verge, and hinterland typology. In two other datasets (539 and 461 birds) we analyzed the relationships between road mortality, body mass, and sex ratio. More than 70% of all owl casualties were in their first year of life and 15% in the second year. The highest mortality was in autumn and winter. Sex ratios were equal (232 males, 229 females). Although casualties were on average lighter than live-caught control birds, many of the traffic victims were in good condition. In years of high owl productivity, road mortality was strongly reduced. The number of road victims on major roads was significantly higher than on other road types. Highway junctions and highway-secondary road junctions contributed significantly to the spatial clustering of owl mortality. We conclude that in years when prey availability in the agricultural fields is high, roads/verges are not favored as hunting grounds. Therefore, the best option to reduce owl traffic victims is to improve the quality of farmland as foraging areas, and secondly to make design adjustments at major junctions to reduce owl-traffic collisions.http://www.ace-eco.org/vol13/iss2/art2/Barn Owlbody massconservationdispersalFriesland (Netherlands)road verge typesroad victimssex ratio<span style="font-style: normal">Tyto alba</span> |
| spellingShingle | Johan de. Jong Arnold van den Burg Allan Liosi Determinants of traffic mortality of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in Friesland, The Netherlands Avian Conservation and Ecology Barn Owl body mass conservation dispersal Friesland (Netherlands) road verge types road victims sex ratio <span style="font-style: normal">Tyto alba</span> |
| title | Determinants of traffic mortality of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in Friesland, The Netherlands |
| title_full | Determinants of traffic mortality of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in Friesland, The Netherlands |
| title_fullStr | Determinants of traffic mortality of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in Friesland, The Netherlands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determinants of traffic mortality of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in Friesland, The Netherlands |
| title_short | Determinants of traffic mortality of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in Friesland, The Netherlands |
| title_sort | determinants of traffic mortality of barn owls tyto alba in friesland the netherlands |
| topic | Barn Owl body mass conservation dispersal Friesland (Netherlands) road verge types road victims sex ratio <span style="font-style: normal">Tyto alba</span> |
| url | http://www.ace-eco.org/vol13/iss2/art2/ |
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