Towards an understanding of social interactions and habitat quality on breeding success and survival of barn owls

This study will provide new insights into the effects of social and non-social environments on recruitment, reproduction and survival of a critically endangered bird species, the barn owl (Tyto alba), at different temporal and spatial scales. Analysis at the population level should then make it possible to identify the key factors in the persistence of populations of this species, on the basis of which appropriate conservation measures can be proposed.

To collect data throughout the barn owl’s annual cycle, we have worked with engineers at Octanis to develop an RFID based system. The system consists of a perch mounted next to the nest box entrance that automatically records the presence of individuals in the nest box and their body weight at each landing throughout the year. Thanks to the ANISCA system, we now have information on which nest boxes the owls visit, how much social interaction takes place at the nest, and data on body weight variation over the annual cycle.

The barn owl is one of the 50 priority species of the Swiss Species Recovery Programme and a typical species of open agricultural landscapes with high biodiversity. We will gain new insights into how inter and intra specific density, social interactions, prey availability and anthropogenic disturbance interact to influence fitness, and which periods of the annual life cycle are most critical, providing invaluable information for implementing evidence based management and conservation plans for this near threatened bird species in Switzerland.

• Dr. Alexandre Roulin, University of Lausanne
• Octanis

• Stiftung Yvonne Jacob
• Swiss National Science Foundation