TY -JOUR AU -Kuang-Ying Huang AU -Yao-Sung Lin and Lucia Liu Severinghaus TI -The Diet of Besra Sparrowhawk (Accipiter virgatus) in Yangmingshan Area, Northern Taiwan PY -2004 DA -0000-00-00 JO -Taiwania VL -49 IS -3 SP -149 EP -158 UR -https://taiwania.ntu.edu.tw/abstract/418 AB -We monitored 25 Besra Sparrowhawk (Accipiter virgatus) nests from 1993 to 2002 in Yangmingshan, northern Taiwan, to document the prey composition of this species during the breeding season. Results showed that birds were the major prey both in frequency and in biomass. Besra Sparrowhawk preyed more on species active in canopy, mid-layer, and shrubs than on the ground. There were seasonal shifts in prey composition and diet diversity indices. We suggest that Besra Sparrowhawk captured prey opportunistically, capitalizing on seasonally emerging prey species that are abundant and energetically rewarding to catch. DO -10.6165/tai.2004.49(3).149