Birding/Droppings

Advertisement

Expert: Julia Booth - 3/17/2009


Question

Feeder w/ droppings
I am in N. Illinois outside Chicago. found these on my bird feeder this morning.  
Like raisins but rounder, about 5/8 in biggest dimension. Bat droppings?

Answer
Sorry for the wait. I was sick.

That's looks too big to be from a bat, although the consistency is right. Bats themselves are fairly tiny, meaning their poop will also be tiny. They feed on small insects and fruit, for the most part. Finding it on the feeder wouldn't fit either. I'm thinking rodent of some sort, that's coming to the feeder for the seeds, and spending enough time there to expel some waste.

You can usually tell who the scat belongs to, by what's in it. If you can make out hair or anything shiny (digested animal bones) it's a carnivore. If you can make out seeds, it's a grain/herbivore. That will tell you what it eats and narrow it down.

Bird scat is not solid. They do not have the same kind of waste system as mammals. It has more of a splattering effect.

Here is a good key for IDing scat:

http://icwdm.org/Inspection/Identification%20Key%20to%20Scatdferraro.htm

And a forum with user posted pictures:

http://www.summitpost.org/album/276861/Scat-Identification-.html


Hope this helps,

Julia  

Julia Booth

Expertise

I can answer questions about bird identification (by sight or sound), behavior, distribution, population, conservation, mating, nesting, fledging and feeding. I do have some practical knowledge about foreign species, but identification skills are limited in that arena. Bear in mind that as much as I know, it's possible that at least some of you will ask a question that I am unable to answer. At which point I would direct you to wherever or whomever I thought could provide you with that information.

Experience

I have 15 years birding experience in Southern California.

Organizations
Audubon Society

Education/Credentials
My education is in art and photography -but I have a substantial portfolio of nature related work.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.