Predation by the Fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) on Colonies of the Short-Tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris (Temminck)) in Victoria, Australia

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Abstract
The fox, Vulpes vulpes, introduced into Australia in the 1860s, has been reported as causing predation in colonies of the short-tailed shearwater, Puffinus tenuirostris in Victoria, Australia. The effect of fox predation was studied at two such colonies, Cape Woolamai and Benison Island, in Corner Inlet, where predation has been recorded for some time. At Cape Woolamai, marked burrows were examined during the birds' breeding seasons (September-April 1965-68) and adult and young shearwaters ringed. At Benison Island and at Cape Woolamai fox-killed birds were collected monthly and examined for damage and the presence of rings. Predation rates were estimated both from recoveries of ringed birds and from corpse totals considered in relation to the local estimated breeding population. It was considered that corpse totals at Benison Island included non-breeding birds and that predation of this group was causing a reduction in the numbers entering the breeding population. However, breeding success at Woolamai and at Benison appeared unaffected by predation though burrow occupancy declined at the latter site. Analyses of fox scats from Cape Woolamai showed that during the shearwaters' presence, the bird formed the major item of diet, but throughout the year the introduced rabbit was the main prey species. Comparison of recovery rates of ringed birds, obtained in this study, with data from other Victorian ringing sites showed the relative unimportance of predation at all but Benison Island, where no other vertebrate prey was present.

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