EFFECTS OF VEGETATION ON THE BEHAVIOR OF HUNTING BARN OWLS (TYTO FURCATA) AND THEIR PREY

Jadzia M Rodriguez; Cal Poly Humboldt; jmr303@humboldt.edu; Matthew D. Johnson

Changes in habitat and vegetation in space and time can strongly affect the behavior of both prey and their predators, thus shaping the outcomes of predator-prey interactions. In managed agroecosystems, these changes could mediate the capacity for natural enemies to reduce economically damaging pests. Farmers in Napa Valley, CA install nest boxes to attract American barn owls (Tyto furcata) to their winegrape vineyards for rodent pest control. However, vineyards exhibit marked spatial and temporal variation in habitat structure due to viticultural practices (i.e., mowing cover crops, trellis systems, and pruning). How the owls respond to this habitat heterogeneity remains unresolved. During the spring and summer of 2024, we deployed GPS tags fitted with accelerometers on adult breeding barn owls in Napa Valley to track their hunting behavior. These data will be used in integrated step-selection function and resource selection function analyses to reveal how changes in vegetation structure affect hunting strike location distributions. By leveraging improved GPS tracking technology, a heterogeneous landscape, and predictable and abrupt changes in vegetation caused by viticultural practices, this research will investigate questions fundamental to understanding predator-prey interactions while also shedding light on how owls contribute to rodent pest management in this agricultural ecosystem.

Wildlife and Agriculture I   Student Paper