FOOD AND FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF A CAPTIVE COSTA RICAN LEAST PIGMY OWL GLAUCIDIUM MINUTISSIMUM RARUM GRISCOM. (AVES: STRIGIDAE)

Abstract

A captive nearly mature least pigmy owl Glaucidium minutissimum rarum Griscom from Limon Province was found to eat a very wide variety of animals and animal parts. When capturing prey or taking food she always closed her eyes shortly before contacting the food, apparently to avoid eye damage; she had the ability to regurgitate pellets of indigestible material in the order in which it was consumed. With the exception of sea turtle meat, meat from vertebrates was accepted readily; she ate worms, crustaceans and a leech but rejected whole or fragmented scorpions. Cryptic orthopterans and other cryptic insects were readily eaten, and many aposematic Lepidoptera and Hemiptera were rejected. However, aposematic romaleinid grasshoppers were consumed, and cryptic walking sticks and some moths were rejected.