Do owls use torpor? Winter thermoregulation in free-ranging pearl-spotted owlets and African scops-owls

Abstract

Numerous avian taxa use torpor, which involves pronounced reductions in body temperature (Tb) to below normothermic levels. However, the occurrence of this phenomenon in owls (Strigidae) remains largely unknown. We investigated winter patterns of thermoregulation in the crepuscular 80-g pearlspotted owlet Glaucidium perlatum and the strictly nocturnal 61-g African scops-owl Otus senegalensis by obtaining telemetric measurements of skin temperature (Tskin) from free-ranging individuals in the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa. Pearlspotted owlets remained homeothermic throughout the study period, whereas African scops-owls routinely used shallow torpor, with Tskin reduced by 3.3 –8.6 C (pooled mean, 5.3 1.1 C) below normothermic levels for 3–4 h after sunrise. The mean lowest Tskin recorded in three African scops-owl individuals was 29.0 0.1 C. The thermoregulatory differences between these two species may be related to their diets and activity patterns. African scops-owls are almost exclusively insectivorous and experience a marked reduction in food availability on cold winter nights. In contrast, pearl-spotted owlets have more flexible activity patterns and include larger or diurnal vertebrate prey in their diet.