TROPHIC INTERACTION BETWEEN BUBO VIRGINIANUS (GMELIN, 1788) (STRIGIFORMES; STRIGIDAE) AND JACANA JACANA (LINNAEUS, 1766) (CHARADRIIFORMES; JACANIDAE) IN THE SOUTHERN PANTANAL OF MATO GROSSO DO SUL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61164/021twd64Keywords:
Bubo virginianus; Jacana jacana; predação; Pantanal; ecologia trófica.Abstract
Bubo virginianus (Gmelin, 1788), commonly known as the Great Horned Owl, exhibits a wide distribution throughout the Americas, ranging from northern Canada to southern South America. Despite its extensive range, many aspects of its natural history remain poorly understood, particularly within Brazil and the Neotropical region. Most ecological studies have focused on its feeding habits, revealing a generalist and opportunistic diet dominated by birds and mammals, with variations related to prey availability. During a nocturnal herpetofaunal survey conducted on August 25, 2025, at approximately 23:00 h, in a rural area of Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, we documented a trophic interaction between an adult B. virginianus and a juvenile Jacana jacana (Linnaeus, 1766). The owl was observed perched atop a dead tree holding the prey in its talons before flying away. The event occurred near a wetland area characterized by dense aquatic vegetation, a suitable habitat for J. jacana, which had been previously observed foraging with chicks during daylight hours. Large owls such as B. virginianus have high energetic demands, requiring extensive foraging areas that vary according to prey abundance and habitat structure. In the Pantanal, the diversity of microhabitats and high availability of prey, particularly small mammals and birds, may reduce intraspecific competition and foraging range requirements. This observation represents the first documented record of predation on J. jacana by B. virginianus in the southern Pantanal. Opportunistic records such as this provide valuable contributions to the understanding of predator–prey interactions involving top trophic-level species, complementing indirect dietary studies based on pellet or fecal analyses. The record expands the known prey spectrum of B. virginianus in the Neotropical region, offering new insights into its feeding ecology and the ecological dynamics of wetland environments in the Pantanal biome.
Downloads
References
Aragon, E. E.; Castillo, B. & Garza, A. 2002. Roedores em la dieta de los aves rapaces nocturnas (Bubo virginianus y Tyto alba) em el noroeste de Durango, México. Acta Zoológica Mexicana 86:29-50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2002.0862498
Caldart, V. M., S. Iop, M. C. Rocha, and S. Z. Cechin. 2011. “Diurnal and nocturnal predators of Crossodactylus schmidti Gallardo, 1961 (Anura, Hylodidae) in Southern Brazil.” North-Western Journal of Zoology 7: 342–345.
Couto, R. M. P. (2025a). Jantar Romântico: Presentes nupciais como investimento reprodutivo em Bubo virginianus (Strigiformes: Strigidae) no Pantanal, Brasil. REVISTA DELOS, 18(69), e5908-e5908. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55905/rdelosv18.n69-101
Couto, R. M. P. 2025b. Valores nutricionais de presas inteiras congeladas utilizadas na alimentação de animais de cativeiro. Dissertação, UNESP.
Couto, R. M. P., dos Santos, P. S., & Saturno, G. 2025. Feeding behavior of Guira guira during parental care and trophic interaction with anurans. Cuadernos de Educación y Desarrollo, 17(6), e8524-e8524. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55905/cuadv17n6-015
Dias, J. P., & Kasper, C. B. 2023. Área de vida, nidificação e dieta de Bubo virginianus (Strigiformes: Strigidae) no pampa brasileiro. Iheringia. Série Zoologia, 113, e2023015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4766e2023015
Emlen, S.T. e Wrege, P.H. 2004. Division of labour in parental care behaviour of a sex-role-reversed shorebird, the wattled jacana. Anim. Behaviour 68:847-855. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.08.034
Ferreira, I. 1984. Comportamento reprodutivo da Jaçanã, Jacana jacana (L., 1766) (Aves, Charadriiformes, Jacanidae) no Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Dissertação de Mestrado. Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
Forsman, E. D.; Kaminski, T. J.; Lewis, J. C.; Maurice, K. J.; Sovern, S. G.; Ferland, C. & Glenn, E. M. 2005. Home range and habitat use of Nouthern Spotted Owls on the Olympic Peninsula. Journal of Raptor Research 39:365-377.
Gamel, C. M. & Brush, T. 2001. Habitat use, population density and home range of elf owls (Micrathene whitneyi) at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. Journal of Raptor Research 35:214-220.
Hayman, P.; Marchant, J. e Prater, T. 1986. Shorebirds: an identification guide. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co.
Houston, C. S.; Smith, D. G. & Rohner, C. 1998. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). In: Poole, A. & Gill, F. eds. The birds of North America: The Birds of North America. Washington, D.C., Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia and American Ornithologists’ Union. 372p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2173/tbna.372.p
Jaksic, F. M. & Marti, C. D. 1984. Comparative food habits of Bubo owls in Mediterranean-type ecosystems. The Condor 86:88-296. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1366997
Konig, C. & Weick, F. 2010. Owls of the world. London, A & C Black. 528p.
Marks, J. S.; Cannings, R. J. & Mikkola, H. 1999. Family Strigidae (Typical Owls) In: Del Hoyo, J.A.; Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world. Barn owls to humming bird. Barcelona, Lynx Edicions, p. 76-151.
Marques, O. A. V., C. A. Falcetti, R. A. K. Ribeiro, and D. N. Pereira. 2004. “Bothrops jararacussu (Jararacussu). Ophiophagy.” Herpetol. Rev 35: 58.
Marti, C. D. & Kochert, M. N. 1996. Diet and trophic characteristics of Great Horned Owls in Southwester Idaho. Journal Field Ornithology 67:499-506.
Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1982. A guide to the birds of South America. Academy of Natural Sciences. Philadelphia.
Motta-Junior, J. C.; Braga, A. C. R. & Granzinolli, M. A. M. 2017. The owls of Brazil. In: Enriquez, P., ed. Neotropical owls. Cham, Springer, p. 97-158. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57108-9_6
Osborne, D. R. e Bourne, G.R. 1977. Breeding behaviour and food habits of the Wattled jacana. Condor 79:98–105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1367536
Peters, F. B., de Oliveira Roth, P. R., Jeronimo, A. A., da Silveira Pereira, M., Poerschke, F., Machado, L. F., & Christoff, A. U. 2009. PREDAÇÃO DE Lepus europaeus (LAGOMORPHA: LEPORIDAE) POR Bubo virginianus (STRIGIFORMES: STRIGIDAE) NO EXTREMO SUL DO BRASIL. Biodiversidade Pampeana, 7(1).
Sazima, I. 1991. “Caudal Luring in two Neotropical Pitvipers, Bothrops jararaca and B. jararacussu.” Copeia 1991: 245–248. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1446274
Sick, H. 1997. Ornitologia brasileira. Rio de Janeiro, Nova Fronteira. 912p.
Tomazzoni, A. C.; Pedó, E. & Hartz, S. M. 2004. Food habitats of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginanus) in the breeding season in Lami Biological Reserve Southern Brazil. Ornitologia Neotropical 15:279-282.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Rodney Murillo Peixoto Couto, Staci Arielli Caires Correia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits the sharing of the work with proper acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal;
Authors are authorized to enter into separate, additional agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (e.g., posting in an institutional repository or publishing it as a book chapter), provided that authorship and initial publication in this journal are properly acknowledged, and that the work is adapted to the template of the respective repository;
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post and distribute their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal websites) at any point before or during the editorial process, as this may lead to productive exchanges and increase the impact and citation of the published work (see The Effect of Open Access);
Authors are responsible for correctly providing their personal information, including name, keywords, abstracts, and other relevant data, thereby defining how they wish to be cited. The journal’s editorial board is not responsible for any errors or inconsistencies in these records.
PRIVACY POLICY
The names and email addresses provided to this journal will be used exclusively for the purposes of this publication and will not be made available for any other purpose or to third parties.
Note: All content of the work is the sole responsibility of the author and the advisor.
