Long-eared Owl Asio otus breeding in a Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans colony: Reversed roles in protective nesting association?

Abstract

We describe the event of Long-eared Owls Asio otus nesting on an island within a colony of Caspian Gulls Larus cachinnans at the Mietków Reservoir (SW Poland). The owls nested in an old (possible corvid) nest in a willow and raised two owlets. They probably did not hunt gulls, neither adults nor chicks. We suggest that, in this case, the Long-eared Owls benefitted from breeding within a gull colony because of the added security against predators that the gulls provided.