![]() ![]() ![]() Studies that used surveillance cameras on bird nests determined that rat snakes are the single most important predator of bird nests. ![]() Rat snakes include several subspecies of the genus Elaphe, which show different color patterns. Rat snakes are the leading bird nest predator. These snakes are excellent climbers that regularly explore the forest canopy and human-made structures in search of prey. These three snakes of the genus Elaphe and others of the genus Pituophis (pine snakes) are specialized in feeding on mice, rats, roosting birds, and bird nests. Ornithologists found that 70% of snake raids on bird nests were made by: Ornithologists and bird enthusiasts have identified nine snake species specialized in finding bird nests to eat the eggs and baby birds. This range of results suggests that the loss of eggs, baby birds, and adults lost to snakes is highly variable and depends on many factors.Īn interesting revelation was that nest predation by snakes is more frequent at lower (or southern) latitudes and warmer states than in colder northern states. In some studies, snakes did not predate on any of the nests, while in others, up to 90% of the nests were predated by snakes. Bear in mind, though, that this is an average number. I know snakes raid birds’ nests, but how bad is the problem?īased on a review of 53 studies on nest predation conducted in North America, ornithologists found that snakes predated 26% of nests on average. When a bear is a culprit, the pole and nesting box are knocked over and torn apart, and the eggs and baby birds are gone.When the eggs are still inside the nest with holes poked in them or on the ground below the nest, the most likely culprit is a house wren or a house sparrow.If a cup nest is tipped over or appears dislodged and torn apart or nesting material hangs from a nesting box’s entrance hole, then the most likely culprit is a raccoon.Nearly always, one or both parents are still around days after the snake raid happens. If the nest or nesting box appears intact without any signs of nesting material torn apart or hanging and all or some eggs, all chicks, and maybe the female goes missing, the culprit was likely a snake.Telltale signs left at the nest site often reveal the identity of the culprit. Because predators move typically at night, the actual raid is seldom witnessed. When eggs, babies, and perhaps one adult go missing from a nest, it generally means that a predator raided it. How does one know what eats the eggs or baby birds from a nest? This article reviews the interactions between snakes and bird nests, identify snake species known to eat bird eggs and baby birds, and proposes ways to stop snakes from raiding nesting boxes. Studies of nesting birds found that predation by snakes is the leading cause of nest failure, and only half of all bird nests are successful. The mysterious disappearance of the eggs, baby birds, and even an adult from an active bird nest is relatively common. ![]()
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