What does a mink look like?

Even experts such as our regional advisers and professional gamekeepers can rarely be definitive about what has killed birds in this way, and it is also important to remember that scavengers can often leave confusing evidence on bodies killed by something else.

Many predators are prone to surplus killing, but mink are undoubtedly one of the worst. If the birds are apparently untouched apart from pinprick bite marks and bruising at the back of the head, mink are quite likely to be responsible. Sometimes, having killed a number of birds, a mink will feed from just one, perhaps opening up the belly to get at the internal organs.