Food of the roe deer and red deer in the Białowieża Primeval Forest

Abstract

Gębczyńska Z., 1980: Food of the roe deer and red deer in the Bia-łowieża Primeval Forest. Acta theriol., 25, 40: 487—500 [With 5 Tables & 2 Figs.]. Analysis was made of the rumen contents of 91 roe deer and 93 red deer shot in the Białowieża Primeval Forest. It was established that herbs form 80°/o of the roe deer's food in spring and summer, and about 65°/o in autumn and winter. Leaves buds, and small twigs of trees and shrubs form 11—12% of their food in spring and early summer, and 23% in autumn and winter. Frequency of occurrence of different plant species in samples varied with the season. No dif-ferences were found in the quality of food consumed by young and adult roe deer. Comparison of the red deer's food in the Białowieża Primeval Forest during the autumn and winter seasons showed that there are some, although not significant, differences between males and females. Red deer preferred leaves, small twigs and the bark of trees. Among species most readily eaten is Populus tremula in autumn (24.5% of all tree species eaten). In winter Picea excelsa and Pinus silvestris dominate. It was also found that the method used for analysis of rumen contents, particularly the methods consisting in examining feeding traces, underestimates the percentage of herb plants, grasses, sedge and herb layer plants in the food of the roe deer, and this is even more the case in respect of red deer.