The food of weasels (Mustela nivalis) on farmland in north‐east Scotland

Little is known of the foods of weasels (Mustela nivalis) in farmland in Scotland. Data on their diet were collected from two such areas in east Aberdeenshire between 1971 and 1973. A total of 264 samples of scats were analysed, including 236 from live‐trapped weasels, and the gut contents from 82 weasel carcasses were also examined. Small rodents, particularly Microtus, were the principal prey, but lagomorphs, birds and insectivores were also eaten. Seasonal variations in the diet were influenced by the availability of prey. Weasels ate very few Clethrionomys although they were common on one study area. Significantly more lagomorphs were identified in scats collected in the morning than in the evening, but no such differences were found for other prey.