Prey groups in the pellets of the barn owl Tyto alba (Scopoli) in the Nigerian savanna

The diet of the barn owl in the Nigerian savanna was determined by analysis of 739 prey remains, made up largely of small mammalian species. Small mammals accounted for 92.2% of all remains, with rodents (76.0%), insectivores (12.3%) and chiropterans (3.1%) being the primary prey groups. Unidentified mammals accounted for 0.8%. Nile rat Arvicanthis niloticus was the favourite prey and accounted for 30.9% of all prey and 26.5% of prey biomass. Food habits varied among the four geo-ecological zones of the Nigerian savanna studied in several respects. The diets in Nguru and Baga were more diversified than in the other locations. Birds accounted for 4.7%, reptiles 1.6%, amphibians 1.1% and insects 0.4%. As a result of the preponderance of rodents and some granivorous birds in the diet of barn owls, the owls are deemed to be playing an important role in the biological control of these potential agricultural pests.