Analysis of pellets of the Grey heron, Ardea cinerea, from colonies in Belgium

Abstract

With 1 figure in the text)Analyses of the contents of pellets of Grey herons from different breeding colonies and breeding seasons indicated that the mammal and invertebrate species included in the heron diet varied between colonies and between years. The large differences in mammal species found in neighbouring heronries suggested the existence of important small-scale variability in the exploitation of mammals. Almost no fish and bird remains were found in the pellets. We believe that most invertebrates, even the smallest ones, were actively taken by the herons. Identification of mammal species composition by means of skulls and hair remains gave different results. The shape of a pellet seemed to be dependent upon the (moisture?) conditions during its formation.

Diet composition and food consumption of the grey heron (Ardea cinerea) from breeding colonies in northern Poland

“…Food composition of the grey heron is well documented in Western Europe (Owen 1955(Owen , 1960Milstein et al 1970;Utschick 1981;Draulans et al 1987;Marquiss and Leitch 1990;Gregory 1990). Scarcity of data about the herons' diet from Eastern and Central Europe (Dementev and Gladkov 1951;Ilitchev and Miheev 1986) impedes estimation of potential influence of herons on fish communities in natural water bodies as well as in aquacultures.…”

Determinants of the re‐occupation and size of Grey HeronArdea cinereabreeding colonies in northern Poland

“…Those results were expected because these habitats serve as important foraging areas for Grey Herons as well as other herons (Boisteau and Marion 2006;Kelly et al 2008;Jakubas and Manikowska 2011;Kazantzidis et al 2013). The studied species forages on freshwater prey (Owen 1960;Milstein et al 1970;Draulans et al 1987;Lekuona 2002;Jakubas and Mioduszewska 2005;Jakubas and Manikowska 2011), especially during the breeding season (Fasola et al 1993). All those factors have also been recognized as important determinants of Grey Heron colony location (Boisteau and Marion 2007).…”

“…Its diet consists mainly of fish but also of other prey, such as small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and aquatic insects (Milstein et al 1970;Draulans et al 1987;Jakubas and Mioduszewska 2005;Jakubas and Manikowska 2011). Considering the food preferences of the Grey Heron, hydrographic network is an important landscape element which affects the location of breeding colonies (Boisteau and Marion 2006).…”

The response of Grey HeronsArdea cinereato changes in prey abundance

“…In total, 35 pellets (16 in 2008 and 19 in 2009) were collected and analysed. Herons have an extremely efficient digestive system (Vinokurov 1960), and the majority of fish bones, scales and otoliths are digested completely (Draulans et al 1987). Thus, these types of remains were not found in pellets.…”

“…The information about the species and body length of the tagged fish was obtained from the Inland Fisheries Institute, Department of Migratory Fish in Gdań sk, Poland. Insects in the pellets were not analyzed in the present study, since they are considered unimportant in the energy budget of large herons (Draulans et al 1987). In total, 35 pellets (16 in 2008 and 19 in 2009) were collected and analysed.…”