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Predator Sign
Prepared by Alex Dutcher, Hono O Na Pali Seabird Mitigation Project

Predator Sign.jpg

Click to view original poster

Cats

Rats

Mongoose

Owls

Predation & Carcasses

Cats
Felis domesticus

  • Scat

    • .5-1” in diameter

    • Often contains hair/feathers

    • Pinches to a point at one end

    • ​Variable depending on diet

  • Tracks 

    • 1-1.5” long

    • Two front toes are not lined up (dog track toes are lined up)

    • No claw marks (dog tracks have claw marks)

    • Leading edge of heel pad has two lobes

    • Hind edge of heel pad has three lobes

  • Behavior in Remote Locations

    • Both nocturnal and diurnal​

    • Wary of novelty and learn quickly

    • Capable of fitting into small spaces (burrows)

    • Capable of moving long distances (See map)

    • Adaptable to a variety of habitats, wet and dry,

    • forested and open

  • Prey Items

    • Rodents

    • Birds: Seabirds, forest birds, marsh/lowland birds, ducks

    • Crustaceans (crabs, prawns)

    • Insects

Click to See Full Sized Images

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Cat scat examples, Kaua’i

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Cat track in the mud on Kaua’I

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cat track in snow (Sandhill Nature)

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Photos courtesy of Kaua’i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project)

Rats

Click to See Full Sized Images

  • Identifying Species

    • Distinguishing between species is important due to differences in bait preference, behavior and traps

  • Scat:

    • Rat: 1⁄2 - 3⁄4 “ long, compact and pill-shaped

    • Mouse: 1⁄4 “ long, compact pill-shaped

  • Tracks 

    • Front feet have four tows, hind feet have five

    • Rat: Track approximately 1”

    • Mouse: Track approximately 3/8” 

  • Other Signs

    • Chewing on tree park/branches

    • Seed husks/shells in small piles

    • Chewed berries

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Pile of rat chewed Chirodenrdon spp. seeds

Mongoose
Herpestes javanicus

  • More data and photo evidence of mongoose sign in Hawai’i is needed

  • Scat

    • ​Small elongated scat with pinched ends, may contain feathers, hair, and/or insect parts

  • Tracks

    •  <1” tracks with four ovular toes, spread apart, approximately 1⁄4” from the heel pad

  • Origins

    • ​Originated from southeast Asia/Pakistan and southern China

    • Widely introduced to assist with rodent and snake control

  • Habitat Preferences

    • ​Originally found in dry forest habitats

    • Found in variable habitats, from rainforests to dry scrubland

  • Behavior

    • ​Primarily diurnal

    • Generally solitary

  • Diet

    • Highly opportunistic (insects, herps, reptiles, birds, eggs, rodents, crabs, fish, fruit)

    • In natural habitat, primarily insectivore

Click to See Full Sized Images

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A. Mongoose tracks in sandy soil B. fecal pellets near burrow (Mahmood et al. 2011)

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Mongoose in a body-grip trap (Photo courtesy of Alex Wang)

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A. Mongoose tracks in sandy soil B. fecal pellets near burrow (Mahmood et al. 2011)

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Trap boxes being deployed

Trap boxes being deployed

Owls

Barn Owl
Tyto alba

  • 330mm (~13in) tall, 900mm (35”) wingspan

  • Primarily nocturnal and crepuscular

  • Do not “hoot”

  • Calls include kleaks, hissing, and screeching

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White facial ruff

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Light to tawny undersides with no dark bar on wings

Tawny to dark brown back, barred primary feathers

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Pueo
Asio flammeus sandwichensis

  • 350mm (~14in) tall, 1000mm (39”) wingspan

  • Both Diurnal and Nocturnal

  • Calls are variable, but include hoots, barks, screams, and whines

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Mottled pale underparts with brown-streaked breast

Underwing has distinct comma-shaped mark near the wrist

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Light to tawny undersides with no dark bar on wings

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Owl Pellets found on Kaua’i. Species distinction is difficult between the two owl species. Owl pellets, as opposed to cat scat, will often contain intact rodent skulls

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Pueo skull (left) compared to Barn Owl (right) (Pueo Project)

Click to See Full Sized Images

Predations and Carcasses

  • Cats:

    • Seabirds and waterbirds: Bird is found on its back with the breast muscles removed, neck and head are often eaten but bill remains. Generally organs are not eaten by the cat.

    • Cats may also exhibit digging behavior to expose burrow seabirds in a burrow

    • Forest birds: Bird may be almost entirely consumed, wings often remain

  • Rats

    • Seabirds: Focus on eggs and chicks – shredded bits of bird everywhere

    • Forest Birds: Take eggs, chicks, and adults on nests.

  • Mongoose

    • LIMITED PHOTO DATA OF PREDATIONS

  • Owls

    • Seabirds: Bird decapitated, may be found on ulu’he, off-trail, away from burrows (may take birds on the wing). Internal organs are often eaten as well.

  • Io 

    • How to differentiate an I’o kill from an owl kill? 

  • Pigs

    • Seabirds: Often entire burrow is rooted up, very little remains of birds or eggs

    • Waterfowl and water birds: Carcass is roughly shredded and in many pieces

Click to See Full Sized Images

Rat-Predated Seabird Eggs

(Photos courtesy of Kaua’i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project)

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Barn Owl-Predated Seabirds

(Photos courtesy of Kaua’i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project)

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(Photos courtesy of Kaua’i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project)

Cat-Predated Seabirds

(Photos courtesy of Kaua’i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project)

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Rat-predated Puaiohi

(Photos courtesy of Kaua’i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project)

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(Photos courtesy of Kaua’i Forest Bird Recovery Project)

Cats
Mongoose
Owls
Predation and Carcasses
Rats
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