The diet of ravens corvus cor ax in orkney

Abstract

An analysis of 945 pellets from various territories and communal roosts on Mainland Orkney suggested that the diet of Ravens was dominated by lagomorph carrion, supplemented by shore feeding, egg predation, a little scavenging of large mammal carcases and some ground foraging for invertebrates and vegetable material. There was little variation in pellet contents between 1982 and 1983, but significant seasonal variation, with less lagomorph but more large mammal remains, eggshell, feathers and seashore items in the breeding season. Terrestrial invertebrate remains were more frequent in pellets from late summer and autumn, cereal in February, berries in late autumn, and rodents in October and December.Pellets from territories near to extensive seaweed-covered shores contained more seashore food and bird feathers. Large amounts of eggshell in pellets were associated with the presence of coastal heathland and the absence of tilled agricultural land.Dietary studies of Ravens list a great diversity of foods, sometimes associated with local availability, but with a predominance of carrion. The predominance of lagomorph remains in mianland Orkney is unusual; other wild populations studied in Britain fedd mainly on sheep carrion. © 1986 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.