This review synthesizes historical and contemporary research on wildlife–vehicle collisions and roadkill, outlining its evolution from early documentation to modern road ecology. It discusses how early efforts in North America and Europe that quantified animal casualties and developed standardized methodologies formed current studies that use advanced geospatial tools, citizen science, and artificial intelligence to analyze spatiotemporal patterns. We examine key ecological, methodological, and economic impacts of roadkill on wildlife populations and human safety, highlighting the role of road density, vehicle speed, and seasonal factors. The framework presented also underscores a commitment to sustainability by integrating environmental conservation with infrastructural development and socio-economic resilience. The review details various mitigation strategies, from fencing and wildlife crossings to dynamic signage, and evaluates their effectiveness in reducing mortality rates, thereby supporting sustainable development in transportation infrastructure and wildlife management. It also identifies research gaps and outlines future directions, advocating for integrated, multidisciplinary approaches to improve wildlife conservation, infrastructure planning, and public awareness in the context of rapidly expanding road networks.

Diet composition and food niches of two common and widespread in Lithuania owl species, Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) and Long-eared Owl (Asio otus), were analysed from irregularly collected pellets. S. aluco was characterised by a more diverse diet and a wider food niche: 14 small mammal (93.1% of the recovered items) and two amphibian (5.2%) species, a few passerine birds (1.1%) and representatives of three Coleoptera groups (0.6%) were recovered, whereas for A. otus – nine small mammal and two Carabidea species. By numbers, primary food resources of S. aluco were C. glareolus (31.4%), M. arvalis (27.9%) and A. flavicollis (14.3%), whereas of A. otus - M. arvalis (70.8%), all Microtus voles constituting 95.2%. Diet diversity of S. aluco was more than twofold higher (Shannon’s H = 2.62 vs. 1.16). According to biomass, main foods consumed by S. aluco were C. glareolus, M. arvalis and A. flavicollis (27.6, 25.0 and 22.4%, respectively). For A. otus, Microtus voles represented 95.8% of biomass consumed (M. arvalis – 64.3%). Levins’ measure of food niche breadth for S. aluco was B = 5.51 and for A. otus – B = 2.22. The average number of prey items per pellet was 2.84 ± 0.11 (max. 10) for S. aluco and 1.75 ± 0.03 (max. 7) for A. otus.

The structure and diversity of small mammal (SM) communities over the long term may show the influences of climate change, landscape changes and local disturbances. We review published data regarding SM trapping and owl pellet analysis from Lithuania (the most southerly of the three Baltic States, Northern Europe), covering the period 1975–2021. Over decades, we analysed trends in the diversity of SM communities and the proportions of species and proportions of trophic groups. The large increase in granivores, from 6.9% in 1975–1980 to 45.4% in 2011–2020 and 54.7% in 2021, coincided with a decrease in omnivores and insectivores. The proportion of herbivores increased less notably. At the species level, significant decreases in the proportions of M. arvalis, C. glareolus and S. araneus were accompanied by notable increases in the proportions of A. flavicollis and A. agrarius, the latter from 1.0% in 1975–1980 to 25.3% in 2021. Concluding, two periods were identified, specifically before the 1990s and subsequently. In the second period, in the aftermath of land-use changes within the country in 1990, diversity increased, and dominance decreased, a situation that has not subsequently changed. Not excluding the concomitant effects of climate change, we relate these patterns to the alterations in habitat and anthropogenic impact.

Data on the Tawny Owl diet from the prey remains found in nestboxes after a breeding period in 1997–2004 in Kėdainiai district and in 1999–2003 in the Kamanos State Strict Nature Reserve are compared with the results of small mammal monitoring in these territories. The number of small mammal species found in the owl prey remains as well as their diversity was always greater, than that obtained by trapping. On average, 12.1 ± 0.9 species were recovered from prey remains in Kėdainiai, 11.3 ± 1.9. in Kamanos State Strict Nature Reserve, while the number of species trapped was 7.0 ± 0.6 and 6.8 ± 1.7 accordingly. Shannon.s H in prey remains was 2.62 ± 0.11 and 2.80 ± 0.14 vs. 1.97 ± 0.13 and 1.65 ± 0.33. It is obvious, that quite a lot of small mammals that are seldom trapped are found in owl prey. Analysis of prey remains may be used as a method for small mammal monitoring.

The paper presents the material on the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) diet collected during the breeding period (April–May) in Šakiai district. Prey remains from 11 nestboxes occupied by owls in 1986–1987 and 1997–2004 were analysed. The remains of 15 small mammal species, 18 bird species, two amphibian species and two genera of insects were recovered. The dominating small mammal species (n = 361) were Clethrionomys glareolus (24.6%), Microtus arvalis (20.5%), Apodemus flavicollis (11.6%), Microtus agrestis (8.8%) and Sorex araneus (8.6%). Among birds, the most often preyed were Turdus philomelos, T. merula, Fringilla coelebs and Coccothraustes coccothraustes. Frogs Rana arvalis and R. temporaria as well as insects Dytiscus sp. and Melolontha sp. were also present in the food remains. The species composition and the number of small mammals preyed in Šakiai district were compared to the respective data from Kėdainiai district, Kurtuvėnai Regional Park and Kamanos Strict Nature Reserve. The diet of the Tawny Owl in Šakiai district differed in comparison to the Kamanos Reserve (more C. glareolus, less Microtus and shrews), Kėdainiai district (less shrews) and Kurtuvėnai Regional Park (a less share of secondary prey species).

Small mammals are not only pests but also an important part of agricultural ecosystems. The common vole is a reference species for risk assessment of plant protection products in the European Union, but no data about the suitability of the species in the Baltic countries are present so far. Using the snap-trap line method, we evaluated species composition, abundance, and diversity of small mammal communities in commercial orchards and berry plantations in Lithuania, testing the predictions that (i) compared with other habitats, small mammal diversity in fruit farms is low, and (ii) the common vole is the dominant species. The diversity of small mammals was compared with control habitats and the results of investigations in other habitats. Out of ten small mammal species registered, the most dominant were common vole and striped field mouse. Small mammal diversity and abundance increased in autumn and decreased in line with the intensity of agricultural practices but were not dependent on crop type. In the most intensively cultivated fruit farms, small mammals were not found. The diversity of small mammal communities in fruit farms was significantly higher than in crop fields and exceeded the diversities found in most types of forests except those in rapid succession.