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Seasonal Food Habits of Swift Fox (Vulpes velox) in
Cropland and Rangeland Landscapes in Western Kansas

Marsha A. Sovada, Christiane C. Roy, and David J. Telesco

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Abstract: Food habits of swift foxes (Vulpes velox) occupying two distinct landscapes (dominated by cropland versus rangeland) in western Kansas were determined by analysis of scats collected in 1993 and 1996. Frequencies of occurrence of prey items in scats were compared between cropland and rangeland areas by season. Overall, the most frequently occurring foods of swift foxes were mammals (92% of all scats) and arthropods (87%), followed by birds (24%), carrion (23%), plants (15%) and reptiles (4%). No differences were detected between landscapes for occurrence of mammals, arthropods or carrion in any season (P ≥ 0.100). Plants, specifically commercial sunflower seeds, were consumed more frequently in cropland than in rangeland in spring (P = 0.004) and fall (P = 0.001). Birds were more common in the swift fox diet in cropland than in rangeland during the fall (P = 0.008), whereas reptiles occurred more frequently in the diet in rangeland than in cropland during spring (P = 0.042). Variation in the diet of the swift fox between areas was most likely due to its opportunistic foraging behavior, resulting in a diet that closely links prey use with availability.

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This resource is based on the following source (Northern Prairie Publication 1120):

Sovada, Marsha A., Christiane C. Roy, and David J. Telesco.  2001.  Seasonal 
     food habits of swift fox (Vulpes velox) in cropland and rangeland 
     landscapes in western Kansas.  American Midland Naturalist 145(1):101-111.

This resource should be cited as:

Sovada, Marsha A., Christiane C. Roy, and David J. Telesco.  2001.  Seasonal 
     food habits of swift fox (Vulpes velox) in cropland and rangeland 
     landscapes in western Kansas.  American Midland Naturalist 145(1):101-111.
     Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.  
     http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/mammals/foxfood/index.htm  
     (Version 01OCT2001).

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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Study Area
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Acknowledgements
• Literature Cited

Tables and Figures

• Table 1 -- Frequency of occurrence and percent frequency of occurrence for swift fox prey items in cropland and rangeland areas in western Kansas in spring 1996, summer 1996, and fall 1993

• Figure 1 -- Two 10-km² study areas in western Kansas surveyed for food habits of swift foxes in 1993 and 1996.
• Figure 2 -- Percent of total volume of prey items in 215 swift fox scats collected in cropland and rangeland landscapes in western Kansas in spring and summer 1993 and fall and early winter 1996.

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Marsha A. Sovada and David J. Telesco, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 8711 37th Street SE, Jamestown, North Dakota 58401
Christiane C. Roy, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, 1830 Merchant, Emporia 66801
Corresponding author: e-mail: marsha_sovada@usgs.gov

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