Birrer S. (2009) Synthesis of 312 studies on the diet of the Long-eared Owl Asio otus. ARDEA 97 (4): 615-624

In this literature review, I examined 475 publications with information on the global diet of the Long-eared Owl Asio otus. Data within 312 publications were entered into a database, and quantitative diet data were available from 194 of these publications. The composite data set identified 477 different prey: 180 mammal, 191 bird, 15 reptile, 7 amphibian, and 1 fish species, and 83 invertebrate groupings. In 798 prey lists reflecting 813 033 prey items, small mammals accounted for 93.3% and birds for 6.4% of the vertebrate prey. Prey ranged from 1–500 g, with the vast majority of prey consisting of species ≤50 g. Twenty-three species predominate the prey in at least one species list. Diet composition at the family level was similar in different regions, but considerable differences were shown at the species level.