Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Interpreting Evidence of Depredation of Duck Nests
in the Prairie Pothole Region

Appendix B, Table 3
Table 3. Frequency of various types of damage among eggshells of duck nests depredated by principal predators of duck nests in the Prairie Pothole Region, 1972-92.

Frequency (%)

Predator Data type No. eggshells^a Small holes Large holes Severly damaged^b

Coyote Artifical nest 129 93 2 5

Red fox Artifical nest, loose egg 42 20 73 7

Raccoon Artifical nest 144 13 66 21

Striped skunk Artifical nest 208 12 66 22

Natural nest 67 4 58 36

American badger Natural nest 265 3 40 57

Mink Loose egg 28 36 50 14

Weasels^c Loose egg 15^d 60 33 7

Franklin's ground squirrel Artifical nest 35 23 57 20

Black-billed magpie Artifical nest 23 39 57 4

American crow Artifical nest 61 51 43 7

Gulls^e Artifical nest 26 35 50 15

Loose egg 54 35 41 22

^a Examined eggshells whose connected parts made up ≥50% of the intact shell of an egg.

^b Includes fractured, trampled, and crushed eggshells (see Glossary for definitions).

^c Ermine and long-tailed weasel.

^d Includes 12 eggshells provided by J.P. Fleskes, Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Ames, and 3 eggshells interpreted from photos in Teer (1964).

^e Ring-billed gull and California gull.

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