Ábrahám Levente (szerk.): Válogatott tanulmányok IV. - Natura Somogyiensis 15. / Miscellanea 4. (Kaposvár, 2009)
Lánszki József - Sárdi Bertalan - Széles Gabriella: Falvakban és külterületi mezőgazdasági környezetben élő nyestek táplálkozási szokásai
Natura Somogyiensis 15 231-246 Kaposvár, 2009 Feeding habits of the stone marten (Martes foina) in villages and farms in Hungary József Lanszki, Bertalan Sárdi & Gabriella L. Széles Department of Nature Conservation, University of Kaposvár, H-7401 Kaposvár, P.O. Box 16, Hungary, e-mail: lanszki@ke.hu Lanszki, J., Sárdi, В., & Széles, L. G.: Feeding habits of the stone marten (Martes foina) in villages and farms in Hungary. Abstract: Habitat type dependent feeding habits of the stone marten (Martes foina) was examined in eight villages and four farms of Somogy county on the basis of scat analysis (n=1227). In the studied summer-autumn period plants (mainly pear, plum, cherry/sour-cherry, grape) formed the dominant component of the diet (villages: 35.6-87.4%, farms 54.1-91.3%). Relying on the animal food, in villages primarily birds (42%, mainly with small singing-birds), secondly small mammals (33%), while on farms primarily small mammals (46%, mostly voles), secondly birds (27%) were consumed, but the difference depending on the type of habitat was not significant. Martens in villages compared with the ones which live on farms consumed more prey species living on trees and bushes (43% vs. 27%) and less terrestrial preys (56% vs. 72%, PO.05). Irrespectively of type of habitat, small prey species, 15-50 g in range of weight primarily (60%, vs. 50%), mainly habitat-generalist prey species, namely also living in open and forest habitat (84% vs. 87%), and prey species living in human habitat (40% vs. 47%), or also existing in wild and human habitat, were consumed. Consumption ratio of domestic animals (poultry and egg, 7-48%), and rodent pests (house mouse and brown rat, 7-29%) were considerable. Keywords: terrestrial prey, poultry, rodent pest, predator management Introduction Occurrence and colonization of numerous human culture follower animal species in settlements were noticed (Szemethy et al. 2000). In continental Europe, stone marten (Martes foina) is a common occupant of urban areas. Nowadays, it can be found not only in natural or nearly-natural areas but also from villages to cities, in different human settlements. According to surveys (Heltai 2002), it was found in 80% of Hungary. As for hiding-place, mainly neglected, ruined buildings, ports, lofts are chosen, but church-lofts are also often used. Reasons behind urbanization are also the decrease of natural habitats, safe and secure hiding-places and food given by built up areas (Powell 1994, Adams et al. 2005, Tóth et al. 2007). The presence of wildlife in settlements is usually welcomed, it sometimes also results in more or less severe conflict situations, which may reduce tolerance of the animals in questions. It could have filled a part of management of substance of economic damage causing rodent pests (e.g. house mouse, rat), which also has public sanitation and economical consequences. In close contact of man, stone marten could be a vector of certain zoonoses, furthermore in declining of the barn-owl (Tyto alba) populations (Tóth et al. 2007). Conflicts between humans and martens arise
