The reliability of using counts of vocal begging young to estimate the number of surviving juvenile Tengmalm's Owls (Aegolius funereus) at the end of the post-fledging period

Counting of calling males during territorial or nuptial displays is a method widely used for census of populations of wild vertebrates during the pre-breeding and breeding periods, particularly in relation to census of populations of wild birds. In principle, a similar method could be used for assessing numbers of surviving offspring, by monitoring of begging calls, but is used only rarely. We explored the possibility of assessing post-fledging...