Owl cafes, where customers view and interact with owls, have become popular in Japan. There are multiple aspects of the environment which may be stressful to nocturnal owls, including lighting, tethering and frequent interactions with humans but, to date, welfare has not been investigated. This preliminary study examines the effects of owl cafes and customers on the physiological stress (faecal corticosterone levels [FCL]) and behaviour of the owls. Seven eagle owls (Bubo bubo) and two African scops owls (Ptilopsis leucotis), in two cafes, were studied over an eight-day period. Cafe A (n = 5) was closed for one day per week, whilst cafe B (n = 4) was open every day. In cafe A there was higher FCL in owls during open days than closed days suggesting that the conditions on open days increase stress in owls. Eight of nine owls showed evidence of some aversion or avoidance of humans, whilst no affiliative behaviours were observed. The number of visitor interactions was not associated with the level of physiological stress; and when comparing owls, there was a tendency for individual owls with a higher percentage of aversive responses to customers to also have higher FCL. Close human interactions of a negative nature, that result in aversion, may be a significant stressor, but further research is required.

We studied the breeding success and distribution of three species of eagles, four species of vultures and one species of eagle owl on two areas of differing primary productivity from 1973 to 1984. Densities of all species were lower in areas with lower productivity. Breed-ing success on both biomes was similar, the lower densities of birds on the least productive biome apparently compensating for the lower productivity. Eagles produced more one-egg clutches, laid later and reared fewer young in the period of poor rainfall, probably as a result of reduced productivity. Vulture data were difficult to interpret because abundant food at breed-ing time was created by ungulate population management throughout the entire study period. Concentrations of all species on the more productive biome, and solitary breeding on the least productive biome by a normally colonially breeding species, suggests that primary production also influences vulture densities and perhaps breeding success.

During the 20th century, Mediterranean landscapes underwent extensive changes. In particular, decreasing grazing pressure combined with abandonment of agricultural uplands favoured the development of Mediterranean forests with a corresponding reduction of open habitats and landscape diversity. In some parts of the Mediterranean basin, including our study area, the reduction of open landscapes took place at the same time as a rapid decline in rabbits as a result of myxomatosis. This study assesses the impact of past changes in landscape and rabbit density on the density and the breeding performance of the eagle owl Bubo bubo, one of the largest predators of Mediterranean ecosystems. Eagle owl density, nest site structure and composition at the landscape level, diet and fecundity of 35 eagle owl nesting territories was analysed for 27 years. The study area is characterized by two distinct areas, the border of the massif and the interior, in which past changes acted differently. Eagle owls in the interior were simultaneously affected by the loss of rabbits, a shift to smaller prey, and by open areas reverting to forest. All of these factors reduced the foraging efficiency of the owls. When myxomatosis decimated the rabbit population, owls in the border area switched to other mammals, birds and fish, whereas in the interior, alternative prey were less abundant. The main impacts of reduced prey availability and landscape diversity on interior pairs were: (1) lower density of breeding pairs; (2) lower diversity in landscape structure and closer habitats; (3) lower richness and diversity in the diet; (4) later egg-laying dates; (5) lower productivity.