Variation in the diet of red foxes on Scottish moorland in relation to prey abundance.

Abstract

The diet of red fox Vulpes vulpes was investigated through analysis of 340 scats collected during 1992-1996 from moorland in south-west Scotland. Rodents, gamebirds, lagomorphs, carrion and insectivores were the most frequently occurring food types. Fox diet and prey abundance were compared between heather dominant and grass dominant habitat types within the study area. Rodents were the most frequently occurring food type in each habitat and occurred in 63% of scats overall. Rodents occurred more often in scats from grass dominant sites while gamebirds and lagomorphs were more frequent in scats from heather-dominant sites. The occurrence of rodents in winter fox scats increased with rodent abundance. In contrast, the occurrence of gamebirds in winter fox scats was unrelated to gamebird abundance but negatively related to rodent abundance. It appeared that foxes switched to gamebirds in years, or habitats, where rodents were uncommon.