Little Owl

owl

Little owl is a nocturnal raptor species distributed widely in Eurasia and Northern Africa, whose numbers are in decline. Agricultural intensification has led to a strong decrease in abundance of the species and to extinction in many areas of Central and Western Europe. We are interested in assessing the spatial distribution of the little owl population. Due to practical limitations it is not possible to monitor the population everywhere in space. We use spatial modelling tools to predict occurrence based on habitat characteristics. In this way, resources can be used to implement conservation measures rather than to monitor the population, and spatial modelling informs the areas where implementing conservation measure are particularly important.

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University of St Andrews