Urbanisation and its major consequences, Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) and traffic noise, have significantly impacted habitat utilisation, diet, and behaviour of animals, particularly nocturnal species, including owls.

The dynamic play of attraction and avoidance in response to ALAN and traffic noise will influence the habitat utilisation. To explore the same, my first chapter aims to investigate the space use by a nocturnal top predator, Athene brama (spotted owlet) in relation to ALAN and anthropogenic noise, across an urban-rural gradient at different spatial scales, using bioacoustics as a tool.

For my second chapter, I aim to determine the diet of A. brama along an urban-rural gradient. Firstly, I will ascertain the prey availability under lit and unlit conditions across an urban-rural gradient. Thereafter, to understand their diet composition, I will be using the pellet analysis method. In contrast to the urban centric nature of previous studies, effects in adjacent rural areas will be a novel aspect in the present study.

The third and final chapter will focus on the foraging behaviour of A. brama. The initial part will consist of focal animal sampling in foraging grounds of owlets to understand their various behaviours, eventually leading to performing manipulative behavioural experiments in the wild to determine their means of prey detection in lit and unlit conditions.

This study will enhance understanding of how urbanisation influences nocturnal predators and their adaptability in these changing landscapes.