Owls play important cultural, ecological, and indicator roles throughout the world. Yet owls’ cryptic behavior has led to uncertainties about their basic ecology, including foraging, communication, and functional roles within the community, and potentially hindered the implementation of effective conservation measures. Here we demonstrate the potential for next‐generation GPS tags capable of recording high‐precision, minute‐by‐minute locations paired with other technologies to resolve some of these uncertainties. We combined high‐precision GPS tagging data with infrared (IR) video recorded by arboreally‐mounted cameras at 5 spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) nest sites in the Sierra Nevada, USA to provide a uniquely detailed examination of owl foraging patterns. Our approach allowed us to identify the precise time and location of 54 predation events and prey identity. We also used high‐precision GPS tags with on‐board audio recorders to map the vocal activity of 8 individuals by matching the time of vocalizations in the audio data to GPS locations recorded at one‐minute intervals. The combined spatial and acoustic data revealed that nonbreeding males had the most widespread territorial vocal activity (i.e., producing 4‐note territorial calls), while females provisioning fledglings displayed extensive nonterritorial vocal activity (i.e., producing many contact calls). Thus, the GPS‐tag technologies we employed can provide opportunities to better understand owl foraging, communication, territoriality, and population dynamics. The methods we describe are time‐ and resource‐intensive but can be paired with techniques that are more applicable at landscape scales, such as stable isotope analyses, LiDAR‐based habitat analyses, and passive acoustic monitoring to link local processes to broad‐scale ecological patterns. Therefore, our approach could be applied to many species whose behavior inhibits direct observation. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

中文翻译：

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新兴标签技术照亮猫头鹰的夜间习惯

猫头鹰在全世界扮演重要的文化，生态和指示角色。然而，猫头鹰的神秘行为已导致其基本生态的不确定性，包括觅食，交流和社区内的功能角色，并潜在地阻碍了有效保护措施的实施。在这里，我们展示了下一代GPS标签的潜力，该标签能够记录每分钟的高精度位置，并结合其他技术来解决其中的一些不确定性。我们将高精度GPS标记数据与由安装在5个斑点猫头鹰（Strix occidentalis的猫头鹰）上的摄像机安装的红外（IR）视频结合在一起）位于美国内华达山脉的巢穴，以提供对猫头鹰觅食模式的独特详细检查。我们的方法使我们能够确定54个捕食事件和猎物身份的准确时间和位置。我们还通过将高精度GPS标签与车载音频记录器配合使用，通过将音频数据中的发声时间与以1分钟为间隔记录的GPS位置相匹配，来映射8个人的发声活动。综合的空间和声学数据显示，非繁殖雄性的声带活动最广泛（即产生4音符的领土呼声），而开养雏鸟的雌性则显示出广泛的非声带声活动（即，产生许多接触声）。因此，我们采用的GPS标签技术可以提供机会，以更好地了解猫头鹰的觅食，通讯，地域性，和人口动态。我们描述的方法耗费时间和资源，但是可以与更适用于景观尺度的技术配合使用，例如稳定的同位素分析，基于LiDAR的栖息地分析以及将局部过程与大规模生态联系起来的无源声波监测模式。因此，我们的方法可以应用于许多行为妨碍直接观察的物种。©2021野生动物协会。我们的方法可以应用于行为妨碍直接观察的许多物种。©2021野生动物协会。我们的方法可以应用于行为妨碍直接观察的许多物种。©2021野生动物协会。