Food habits of prairie mink during the waterfowl breeding season

Abstract

We studied the food habits of radio-marked male mink (Mustela vison) in southwestern Manitoba from April through July of 1984 and 1985. Mammals were the major prey during April (99% of diet) and, to a lesser extent, May through July (44–21%). Muskrats, ground squirrels, and voles were the most important mammalian prey. Avian prey comprised from 55 to 75% of the diet during May, June, and July. Waterfowl (adults, ducklings, and eggs) accounted for 23% of the total diet. Other important avian prey included coots, grebes, and marsh-nesting blackbirds. We estimated total prey requirements for our radio-marked male mink and concluded that their predation had little impact on populations of prairie waterfowl during this study.