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Tewes, M.E.; Mock, J.M.; Young, J.H.
Bobcat predation on quail, birds, and mesomammals
2002 Conference Proceeding
We reviewed 54 scientific articles about bobcat (_Lynx rufus_) food habits to determine the occurrence of quail, birds, and mesopredators including red (_Vulpes vulpes_) and gray fox (_Urocyon cinereoargenteus_), raccoon (_Procyon loto_r), skunk (_Mephitis spp_.), and opossum (_Didelphis virginianus_). Quail (_Colinus virginianus_, _Cyrtonyx montezumae_, _Callipepla squamata_, _C. gambelii_, _C. californica_, _Oreortyx pictus_) were found in 9 diet studies and constituted 3% of the bobcat diet in only 2 of 54 studies. Birds occurred in 47 studies, but were also a minor dietary component in most studies. Although mesopredators were represented as bobcat prey in 33 of 47 studies, their percent occurrence within bobcat diets was low and showed regional patterns of occurrence. Bobcats are a minor quail predator, but felid effects on mesopredators and secondary impacts on quail need to be studied.
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