Do Tengmalm's owls see vole scent marks visible in ultraviolet light?

Scent markings (urine and faeces) of small mammals are visible in ultraviolet (UV) light. Diurnal kestrels, Falco tinnunculususe them as a cue to find areas of food abundance. We studied whether vole-eating, nocturnal Tengmalm's owls, Aegolius funereuscan see vole scent marks using UV-vision. In a laboratory experiment, 14 young (less than 6 months old) and 14 adult (more than 6 months old) owls were individually given a choice between four adjacent arenas: (1) an arena with vole urine and faeces in UV light; (2) an arena with vole urine and faeces in visible light; (3) a clean arena in UV light; and (4) a clean arena in visible light. Owls did not prefer any of the four arenas. Our results suggest that Tengmalm's owls probably do not use UV light as a cue to detect vole scent marks.Copyright 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour