Diet of a Maghreb Owl pair Strix mauritanica (Witherby, 1905) in an urban environment (Rabat City, Morocco)

Abstract

A pair of the Northwest African endemic Maghreb Owl Strix mauritanica (Witherby, 1905) located in a coastal urban environment of the Moroccan capital, Rabat, was monitored for the first time over two consecutive breeding seasons, in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Pellets (n = 434) collected and analysed from their roost contained the remains of synanthropic species of rodents, such as the house mouse (Mus musculus), black rat (Rattus rattus), brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and a fairly similar proportion of birds. The most interesting finding was the Barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus), because the distribution does not reach the latitude of Rabat and does not usually frequent urban areas. This is the first study of the Maghreb Owl diet in a non-natural environment in Morocco and highlights the predominance of commensal pest rodents and urban birds in their diet. However, because our study involved only one pair of owls, additional research should be carried out to make sound inferences for the species’ diet at the population level.