This study analyzes the provisioning strategy of the European Scops Owl (Otus scops) via continuous video monitoring of a breeding pair in a Mediterranean ecosystem (N = 724 deliveries). Invertebrates dominated numerically, with Orthoptera constituting 64. 6%. Although vertebrates were scarce (1. 8%), they contributed disproportionately to total biomass (20. 8%), with rodents alone accounting for 20. 3% of delivered energy. Parental effort followed a bimodal nocturnal rhythm, peaking at darkness onset (22: 00 h) and before dawn. Crucially, we found a significant predation bias towards female orthopterans (65. 6% vs. 34. 3%; p 0. 001). While driven by Meconema thalassinum, selection in larger species like Tettigonia viridissima evidences a strategy focused on biomass profitability. Since Ensifera biomass scales allometrically (W ~ L². 797), selecting females yields disproportionate energetic gains. We also report the systematic removal of ovipositors prior to delivery, a behavior that optimizes intake but renders high-value females undetectable in traditional pellet analyses. These results suggest O. scops exploits artificial light sources ("streetlight traps") to maximize foraging efficiency.
Torre et al. (Fri,) studied this question.