Occurrence of the Eastern Barn Owl Tyto alba delicatula in the Centennial Parklands, Sydney
Matthew Mo
pp. 56-59
Abstract
The occurrence of owls in the urban environment has been of interest, with recent records of the Eastern Barn Owl Tyto alba delicatula in highly urbanised locations in Sydney, New South Wales. During the long-term monitoring of bird assemblages in the Centennial Parklands, Barn Owls were consistently found roosting under the crowns of Canary Island Date Palms Phoenix canariensis in six major time periods between 2013 and 2018. Atlas records show two earlier records of this species in the Parklands. Since December 2013, there have been some site visits in which 2–3 Barn Owls have been found roosting in the Parklands.
References
ALA (2018). Atlas of Living Australia. Available online: https://www.ala.org.au (retrieved 25 September 2018).
Aliabadian, M., Alaei-Kakhki, N., Mirshamsi, O., Nijman, V. & Roulin, A. (2016). Phylogeny, biogeography, and diversification of Barn Owls (Aves: Strigiformes). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 119, 904–918.
Bain, D., Kavanagh, R., Hardy, K. & Parsons, H. (2014). The Powerful Owl Project: Conserving Owls in Sydney’s Urban Landscape. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
BirdLife Australia (2017). The BirdLife Australia Working List of Australian Birds, Version 2.1. Available online: http://www.birdlife.org.au/documents/BWL-BirdLife_Australia_Working_List_v2.1.xlsx (retrieved 25 September 2018).
Burgin, S. & Saunders, T. (2007). Parrots of the Sydney region: Population changes over 100 years. In: Lunney, D., Eby, P., Hutchings, P. & Burgin, S. (Eds). Pest and Guest: The Zoology of Overabundance, pp. 185–194. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, Sydney.
Cooper, R.M., McAllan, I.A.W., Brandis, C.P. & Curtis, B.R. (2016). An Atlas of Birds of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Volume 2: Comb-crested Jacana to Striated Pardalote. NSW Bird Atlassers, Woolgoolga, NSW.
Debus, S.J.S. & Rose, A.B. (2004). Diet of the Barn Owl Tyto alba near Tamworth, New South Wales. Corella 28, 95.
Fitzsimons, J.A., Marshall, D. & Rose, A.B. (2008). Diet of an Eastern Barn Owl Tyto javanica on the Patho Plains, northern Victoria. Australian Field Ornithology 25, 145–148.
Hamilton, R. & Penny, D. (2015). Ecological history of Lachlan Nature Reserve, Centennial Park, Sydney, Australia: A palaeoecological approach to conservation. Environmental Conservation 42, 84–94.
Heywood, M.R. & Pavey, C.R. (2002). Relative importance of plague rodents and dasyurids as prey of Barn Owls in central Australia. Wildlife Research 29, 203–207.
Higgins, P.J. (Ed.) (1999). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds, Volume 4: Parrots to Dollarbird. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
Hoskin, E.S., Hindwood, K.A. & McGill, A.R. (1991). The Birds of Sydney, County of Cumberland, New South Wales, 1770-1989. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Sydney.
Hyem, E.L. (1979). Observations on owls in the Upper Manning River District, N.S.W. Corella 3, 17–25.
Kavanagh, R.P. (2004). Conserving owls in Sydney’s urban bushland: Current status and requirements. In: Lunney, D. & Burgin, S. (Eds). Urban Wildlife: More than Meets the Eye, pp. 93–108. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, Sydney.
Kavanagh, R.P. & Stanton, M.A. (2002). Response to habitat fragmentation by the Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua), Sooty Owl (Tyto tenebricosa), Masked Owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) and other nocturnal fauna in southeastern Australia. In:
Newton, I., Kavanagh, R., Olsen, J. & Taylor, I. (Eds). Ecology and Conservation of Owls, pp. 265–276. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Keast, A. (1995). Habitat loss and species loss: The birds of Sydney 50 years ago and now. Australian Zoologist 30, 3–25.
Kross, S.M., Bourbour, R.P. & Martinico, B.L. (2016). Agricultural land use, Barn Owl diet and vertebrate pest control implications. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 223, 167–174.
Martin, J. (2017). The Barn Owl: Guardian of the Countryside. Whittet Books, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, UK.
Martin, J., French, K. & Major, R. (2012). Behavioural adaptation of a bird from transient wetland specialist to an urban resident. PLoS ONE 7, e50006.
McNabb, E.G., Kavanagh, R.P. & Craig, S. (2007). Further observations on the breeding biology of the Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua) in south-eastern Australia. Corella 3, 6–9.
McNabb, E.G., Walters, B. & Bingham, J. (2005). Diet of a Barn Owl Tyto alba at Snake Island, Victoria, including Eastern Pygmy-Possum Cercartetus nanus. Victorian Naturalist 122, 244–246.
Mo, M. (2019). Red-eared Sliders Trachemys scripta elegans in southern Sydney, including new incursions. Australian Zoologist, online early. https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2018.022
Mo, M. & Waterhouse, D.R. (2015). Development of independence in Powerful Owl Ninox strenua fledglings in suburban Sydney. Australian Field Ornithology 32, 143–153.
OEH (2018). BioNet Atlas. Office of Environment and Heritage. Available online: http://www.bionet.nsw.gov.au (retrieved 25 September 2018).
Olsen, J. (2014). Australian High Country Raptors. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Recher, H.F. (2010). A not so natural history: The vertebrate fauna of Sydney. In: Lunney, D., Hutchings, P. & Hochuli, D. (Eds). The Natural History of Sydney, pp. 125–142. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, Sydney.
Tores, M., Motro, Y., Motro, U. & Yom-Tov, Y. (2005). The Barn Owl – a selective opportunist predator. Israel Journal of Zoology 51, 349–360.