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SUMMARY
Food habits of mink
(Mustela vison Schreber)
at River Sog, South Iceland
by Karl Skirnisson
Department of Biology, University of Iceland,
Reykjavík ,
Food habits of feral mink (Mustela vison
Schreber) at River Sog, South Iceland, were
studied by analyses of 421 faecal samples,
collected during the period Jan.—Oct. 1978.
Samples were kept in deep freeze until ana-
lyses. They were broken up and examined
wet in 70% isopropanol. Composition of diet
was estimatf 1 from frequency of occurence
as main food (Fig. 4) and frequency of
occurence of food items (Fig. 5). Main food
was defined as food remains constituting
over 50% of the volume of a faecal sample as
estimated by eye.
During the winter salmonids and
Three-spined Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus
aculealus L.) were the most important food
items. Birds, especially eggs and young of
Passeriformes were the most important food
in late May and in June. Young of Anseri-
formes and Passeriformes became the most
important food items in July. During the
autumn Charadriiformes and F’ulmar (Ful-
marus glacialis (L.)) were eaten but only to a
small extent. In August and September sal-
monids became again the most important
food items. The long tailed field mouse
(Apodemus sylvaticus (L.)) was taken through-
out the observation period except in July,
but most frequently during the autumn.
Bumble bees (Bombus jonellus Kirb.) were
eaten during the summer, other inverte-
brates were taken in small quantities
throughout the observation period.
In comparison with costal mink
(Skírnisson 1979a), inland mink took more
birds during the summer.
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