Pheasant predation on Reptiles?

[paul hudson]

Has any one seen Pheasants predating on Reptiles ? ,I have seen them scratching and digging at patches of sand where I knew ther was a good chance of their being sand lizard eggs incubating.

[Gill Catton]

pheasant like noting more than a good dust bath and I used to see them regularly scratching at bare patches in my parent's lawn (made by moleshills) and having a good roll about. i expect this was probably their intention rather than digging for eggs, though obviously if they unearth the eggs they might be inclined to eat them or they may be left exposed for other animals to eat. How deep do they usually leave their eggs?

[paul hudson]

In my experience sand lizards normally lay their eggs at approx 3" inches below the surface ,in sand that is touch damp ,

[Gill Catton]

well I have never seen even the most determined pheasant (or hen for that matter) dig down that deep so fingers crossed problems will be very rare

[paul hudson]

My concern has always been that ,even if an inch of sand or less was scratched off the surface of a sand lizard nest site then the eggs could dessicate.

[Dogghound]

Wouldn't rodents be a far bigger threat to them than pheasants, birds arnt known to have a great sense of smell so how would they locate the nest 3inches under ground? A rodent that has a more keen sense of smell and is better at digging would find it easier. Due to this doubt pheasants would actively predate eggs although probably juveniles.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

Wouldn't rodents be a far bigger threat to them than pheasants, birds arnt known to have a great sense of smell so how would they locate the nest 3inches under ground? A rodent that has a more keen sense of smell and is better at digging would find it easier. Due to this doubt pheasants would actively predate eggs although probably juveniles.

I have read that Pheasants can be a significant predator of juvenile reptiles where there are (artificially) high numbers of the former. I dare say they may impact on some invertebrate species too given the huge numbers released in some areas.

[james bennet]

I have been told that pheasants are a major predator of common lizards. I imagine this is because they can occur at very high densities, and will feed in groups, and also perhaps they have the strength to turn over refuges which many other birds cannot.