Bubo bubo is one of the largest owls from our country who has a diet generally consisting of insects, rodents and a small quantity of birds. The collection of pellets of Bubo bubo was made around the wintering places, around nests in the village of Satchinez (Timis county). Some of the samples were from some older and already abandoned nests from Sânicolau Mare, but at several sites we also found and collected fresh Bubo bubo pellets. Observations on the Bubo bubo species were carried out in captivity at the Timisoara Zoological Garden, where observation were made on the behavior of the species in captivity, mode, type of food and the consumption time. To determine the feeding behavior of owls the pallets were collected weekly during Octomber 2018 - March 2019. At the Bubo bubo species, measurements were made on the length, width, and weight of 100 pellets. The food behavior of the Bubo bubo species was studied at the Timisoara Zoological Garden, based on the quantity of food administered by the caretakers and the pellets found in the shelter. The feeding at Bobo bubo, in captivity, takes place at seven o'clock a.m. in a single meal, the food consisting of chicken breast weighing 311g. The consumption time was about 24 minutes, and it was interrupted several times being influenced by our presence in the area that caused a state of agitation. Due to the fact that the food is administered without bones, the pellets at Bubo bubo from captivity, found in the shelter were consisting of dried grasses, feathers and some of them had bones from the captured prey that entered the cage (mice, rabbits). The pellets of Bubo bubo is gray to black. At Bubo bubo species the size of the pellets is larger, the maximum length of the pellet was 6.12 cm, and the minimum length was 4.13 cm. The average length was 4.8 + 0.6 cm. Regarding the width of the pellet and it averaged 2.83 + 0.75. The average thickness was 2.94+ 0.77cm. Regarding the dry weight of the pellets, it has an average of 8.07 + 2.33g. The winter prey of these species are rodents, voles (Microtidae) and field mice (Muridae).

Bubo bubo, pellets, food behaviour

biology

Presentation: oral