Concise Garden Wildlife Guide Read online

  HABITAT

  Woodland species that has adapted to fields, parks and gardens. Absent from far north and far south.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Active beneath the ground day and night all year. Tunnels may be 1m deep and 200m long. Food is earthworms and insect larvae, which are found by smell and hearing. Female builds a nest of dry grass and leaves, in which she gives birth to 3–4 young. Lifespan about three years.

  Common Shrew

  Sorex araneus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 5.2–8.7cm (body); 2.4–4.4cm (tail). Adult has a three-coloured coat, consisting of a dark brown head and back, pale brown flanks and grey-brown underparts.

  HABITAT

  Widespread in habitats with ground cover, but most common in rough grassland, scrub, woodland and hedges. Found throughout Europe from Scandinavia to Wales, but not in Iceland, Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Active day and night. Uses its long nose to sniff out beetles, spiders, small snails and other invertebrates. Litter size 4–10, with up to five litters a season. Less than 30 per cent survive long enough to breed the following year, and few of these survive until the next breeding season.

  Pygmy Shrew

  Sorex minutus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 4–6.4cm (body); 3.2–4.6cm (tail). Back and head grey-brown and underside greyish-white. Head more bulbous, and tail thicker and hairier, than Common Shrew’s (opposite).

  HABITAT

  Similar habitat to Common Shrew. Found in gardens, particularly near compost heaps.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Very agile, often climbing in search of food. Does not burrow itself, but uses burrows of other small mammals, and may dig through leaf litter and surface vegetation. Feeds on insects and other invertebrates 2–6mm long. Eats one-and-a-quarter times its own weight each day. Litter size 4–7, with several litters a season. Lives up to 13 months, but at least half do not survive the first two months.

  Pipistrelle

  Pipistrellus pipistrellus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 3.5–4.9cm; wingspan 27–30cm. Very small bat with a soft reddish coat, though the colour may vary. Rounded head with small triangular ears. Fast and jerky flight.

  HABITAT

  Found across Europe except far north, in all but the most exposed habitats.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  In summer roosts in buildings, squeezing through tiny gaps to gain entrance. In winter uses buildings and natural sites for hibernation; also behind boards attached to walls and in specially made boxes. Usually emerges after sunset, but may be seen during daylight. Hunts flying insects for up to 3 hours in warm weather, up to 15 minutes in cold. Each male has a group of 8–10 females. Usually one young is born in spring. Average lifespan four years.

  Brown Long-eared Bat

  Plecotus auritus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 3–4.3cm; wingspan 23–28.5cm. Not a large bat, but with prominent ears that are clearly visible in flight. Fluffy fur is greyish-brown with a paler underside. Brown wings are translucent.

  HABITAT

  Found in mature woodland, parkland and large gardens at up to 2,000m. Absent from Spain, Iceland and northern Scandinavia.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Summer roosts with up to 60 individuals are in old trees, buildings and bat boxes. Winter roosts are in caves, tunnels and disused mines. May move to a new roost in trees in mid-winter. Hibernates late October–early April. Litter size 1–2, born mid-June–July. Average lifespan four and a half years.

  Noctule

  Nyctalus noctula

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 3–8cm; wingspan 32–40cm. Almost twice the size of Pipistrelle, with narrow wings. Coat golden-brown, but moults into a duller paler brown in August–September. Wings are dark brown or black.

  HABITAT

  Lowland deciduous woodland, parkland and gardens with mature trees. Absent from Iceland, Scotland and far north.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Uses tree-holes as summer roosts; also bat boxes. In winter roosts in trees and buildings. Emerges from roosts at dusk. Catches and eats flying insects on the wing. Offspring born June–July; usually only one young is produced. May live for 12 years, but most die much sooner.

  Red Fox

  Vulpes vulpes

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 56–77cm (body); 28–49cm (tail); 35–40cm (height at shoulder). Pointed nose and ears, and bushy tail, make this reddish-brown carnivore unmistakable.

  HABITAT

  Found in every type of habitat, including urban areas, at up to 3,500m in mountains. Widespread across Europe except Iceland.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Active mostly at night with peak activity at dawn and dusk. Preys on small mammals and birds, but about two-thirds of an urban fox’s diet is human refuse. Also eats carrion, as well as hedgerow berries and fruits. Lives in family groups. Litter size 4–5 cubs, which are born black. Some foxes survive for 12 years, but most live for only about two.

  Eurasian Badger

  Meles meles

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 67–85cm (body); 11–20cm (tail); 30cm (height at shoulder). Black stripe through each eye, a white face and coarse greyish fur. Although the sexes are alike, male has a broad domed head, while female’s head is narrower and flatter, and she has a bushier tail.

  HABITAT

  Deciduous woodland with open areas or bordering farmland; also parks, gardens and mountains up to 2,000m. Occurs in most of Europe except far north.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats earthworms, small mammals, birds, eggs, reptiles and frogs; also berries, fruits, roots and honey, and grubs in wasps’ and bees’ nests. Most cubs born January–March. Litter consists of 1–5 cubs. If they survive their first year, badgers live for about six years.

  Pine Marten

  Martes martes

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 40–55cm (body); 22–26cm (tail). Flattened head, long neck and short legs. Fur predominantly dark brown, but throat is cream or pale yellow.

  HABITAT

  Woodland, particularly coniferous forests, at up to 2,000m. Moves into lofts and farm buildings in winter. Found across Europe from northern Spain. In Britain limited to north of Scotland, the Lake District, north Wales, Yorkshire and western Ireland.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Nocturnal. Good climber and jumper. Feeds on small mammals, birds’ eggs and nestlings. Also eats berries, fruits and wild bees’ honey. Usually three young are born March–April. If the first winter is survived, life expectancy is about five years.

  Weasel

  Mustela nivalis

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 13–23cm (body); 3–6cm (tail). Long body and neck. Fur chestnut-brown with white underparts. Male much larger than female.

  HABITAT

  Found in lowland woods, farmland and large gardens across Europe, except Ireland and Iceland.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Hunts day and night, with three periods of sleep (3–4 hours each) every day. Prey is mainly voles, but also young rabbits, rats, moles and nestlings. Cannot survive more than 24 hours without food. Solitary outside breeding season. Litter size 3–8. Life expectancy about a year in the wild.

  Stoat

  Mustela erminea

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 24–31cm (body); 9–14cm (tail). Larger than Weasel (opposite), with more reddish-brown fur and a black-tipped tail. In the north of its range in winter, its coat turns clean white except for the tail tip, which remains black. Male larger than female.

  HABITAT

  Wide range of habitats, wherever there is suitable food. Occurs across Europe except lowlands around Mediterranean and Iceland.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Moves with a bounding gait and is a good swimmer and agile climber. Hunts by day and night either singl
y or in family parties. Prey includes small mammals and birds. Mates in summer, but gestation, of 21–28 days, is delayed until the following spring, when a litter of 6–12 is born. Life expectancy 1–2 years.

  Reeves’s Muntjac

  Muntiacus reevesi

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 90–107cm (body); 14–18cm (tail); 44–52cm (height at shoulder). Red-brown deer with a dark V-shape on the head. Buck has short antlers and long incisors, which may protrude from its upper lip. Coat is grey-brown and legs are nearly black in autumn.

  HABITAT

  Dense deciduous woodland with thick undergrowth; also gardens and orchards. Introduced to Britain from China in the 1900s; now found in England, Wales and other parts of western Europe.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats grass during spring; browses on shrubs and the lower branches of deciduous trees. Normally solitary and active day and night, particularly around dusk and dawn. One fawn is born after a seven-month gestation. Many muntjac die in hard winters; lifespan of survivors is 16 years.

  Roe Deer

  Capreolus capreolus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 100–140cm (body); 1–2cm (tail); 100–140cm (height at shoulder). Coat reddish-brown in summer, moulting into longer grey-brown to almost black in autumn. Short muzzle with a black nose, and large dark eyes. Bucks have small antlers (to 30cm) with three tines.

  HABITAT

  Deciduous and coniferous woodland, open moorland and sometimes reedbeds, across much of Europe. Enters large gardens.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds on the buds and shoots of trees and shrubs, brambles, wild flowers, ivy, ferns and berries. Mostly solitary. May form small flocks in winter; males may be seen with females in breeding season. Rutting July–August. Implantation is delayed and gestation starts December–January. Young (usually twins) born April–June. Most die in the first few months; lifespan of survivors is 12–14 years.

  First published in 2011 by New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd

  This electronic edition published in 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

  Copyright © 2015 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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  British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  ISBN (print) 978-1-4729-1980-9

  ISBN (ePub) 978-1-4729-1982-3

  ISBN (ePDF) 978-1-4729-1981-6

  Design by Alan Marshall

  The publishers thank Shirley Hawkins of The Wildlife Trusts for reading the text.

  Reproduction by Modern Age Repro Co. Ltd., Hong Kong

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