Food habits of the red fox in Greece
Open accessAbstract
With 3 Tables & 1 Fig. ] The stomach contents of 190 red foxes Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758), collected throughout Greece during 1982-85, were examined for prey remains.Of these, 165 stomachs contained measurable quantities of food.The fox had a wide dietary range, consisting of approximately 70 prey species.The main food groups were of vertebrate origin, supplemented by invertebrates, grasses and fruits.The main food items were small rodents, domestic mammals, apples and domestic chickens.Game mammals and birds did not play a significant role as prey in the fox's dietary needs.The observed regional and seasonal variations in the fox's prey reveal the opportunistic feeding behavior of the fox, utilizing mainly foods which are more abundant and easily obtainable.| Department of Forestry and Natural Environment, University of Thessaloniki, (Box 241) 540 06, Thessaloniki (N.K.P., A.I.S., O.G.C., and C.G.V.), Ministry of Agriculture, Greek Forest Service, Hipocratous 3
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Red fox feeds most frequently on small mammals, but utilizes other food items such as carrion, birds and other mammals when voles are scarce.
“Red fox feeds most frequently on small mammals, but utilize also other food items such as carrion, birds and other mammals when voles are scarce (Goszczyński 1974; Papageorgiou et al. 1988; Jędrzejewski and Jędrzejewska 1992; Dell’Arte et al. 2007).”
From The effects of sex, age, season and habitat on diet of the red fox Vulpes vulpes in northeastern Poland (2011) · cites this paper as Papageorgiou et al. 1988
The Discussion (page not provided) identifies small rodents as the fox’s main food and describes it as an opportunistic predator and scavenger. The Specific Food Items section (page not provided) documents birds and other mammals in its diet, and the Discussion links greater carrion consumption to winter scarcity of other foods. The paper does not establish that foxes turn to those foods specifically when voles are scarce. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe red fox is a generalist predator, feeding mainly on prey which are abundant and easily accessible.
“Numerous studies of the red fox diet show it to be a generalist predator, feeding mainly on prey which are abundant and easily accessible.”
From The effects of sex, age, season and habitat on diet of the red fox Vulpes vulpes in northeastern Poland (2011) · cites this paper as Papageorgiou et al. 1988
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Identification of hair and feather remains in the gut and faeces of stoats and weasels
Day, M. G. (1966) · Journal of Zoology · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1966.tb02948.x · Cited by 430 · see citing works
The Estimation of the Food of Foxes
Lockie, J. D. (1959) · Journal of Wildlife Management · doi:10.2307/3797647 · Cited by 247 · see citing works
The Hair of California Mammals with Keys to the Dorsal Guard Hairs of California Mammals
Mayer, W. V. (1952) · The American Midland Naturalist · doi:10.2307/2422262 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
The diet of red foxes, Vulpes vulpes L., in Victoria
Coman, B. (1973) · Australian Journal of Zoology · doi:10.1071/zo9730391 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
A Key to Hairs of the Mammals of Southern Michigan
Mathiak, H. A. (1938) · Journal of Wildlife Management · doi:10.2307/3795673 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
The Diet of the Fox Since Myxomatosis
Lever, R. J. A. W. (1959) · Journal of Animal Ecology · doi:10.2307/2089 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Errington, P. L. (1935) · Journal of Mammalogy · doi:10.2307/1374445 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Food of the fox in the Canberra District
McIntosh, D. (1963) · C.S.I.R.O. wildlife research · doi:10.1071/cwr9630001 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Nelson, A. L., & Murie, A. (1937) · Journal of Mammalogy · doi:10.2307/1374322 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Richards, S. H., & Hine, R. L. (1953) · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Food Habits of the Red Fox in Missouri
Korschgen, L. J. (1959) · Journal of Wildlife Management · doi:10.2307/3797637 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Observations on the diet of the Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in South Devon
Richards, D. (1977) · Journal of Zoology · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1977.tb04201.x · Cited by 32 · see citing works
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON LOSSES AMONG MERINO LAMBS
Alexander, G. M., McCance, I., & Watson, R. H. (1955) · Australian Veterinary Journal · doi:10.1111/j.1751-0813.1955.tb05523.x · Cited by 31 · see citing works
The Ecological Relationships of Red Fox Food in Eastern New York
Cook, D. B., & Hamilton, W. J. (1944) · Ecology · doi:10.2307/1930765 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Red Foxes and a Declining Prey Population
Allen, D. L., Scott, T. G., & Klimstra, W. D. (1956) · Journal of Wildlife Management · doi:10.2307/3797428 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Food Habits of Iowa Red Foxes During a Drought Summer
Errington, P. L. (1937) · Ecology · doi:10.2307/1932702 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Notes on Food of Red Foxes in New York and New England
Hamilton, W. J. (1935) · Journal of Mammalogy · doi:10.2307/1374525 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Food Habits of the Sharp-Tailed Grouse by Analysis of Droppings
Swanson, G. A. (1940) · Journal of Wildlife Management · doi:10.2307/3796013 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
A Thousand Miles of Fox Trails in Michigan's Ruffed Grouse Range
Schofield, R. D. (1960) · Journal of Wildlife Management · doi:10.2307/3796530 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
The Diet of Fox Cubs (Vulpes vulpes) in Sweden
Englund, J. (1969) · Oikos · doi:10.2307/3543225 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Food Habits of Wisconsin Foxes
Karpuleon, F. (1958) · Journal of Mammalogy · doi:10.2307/1376807 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Fairley J. S., 1970: The food, reproduction, form, growth and development of the fox (Vulpes vulpes) in north-est Ireland. Proc. R. Ir. Acad., 69: 103-137.
- Papageorgiou N., Vlachos C. & Neophytou C., 1981: Food habits of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Macedonia. A Preliminary Report. Scientific Annals of the School of Agriculture & Forestry, Univ. of Thessaloniki, Vol. 24(5): 181-193.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Fleshy Fruit Characters and the Choices of Bird and Mammal Seed Dispersers in a Mediterranean Region
Debussche, M., & Isenmann, P. (1989) · Oikos · doi:10.2307/3565617 · Cited by 203 · see citing works
Jędrzejewski, W., & Jędrzejewska, B. (1992) · Ecography · doi:10.1111/j.1600-0587.1992.tb00027.x · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Dell’Arte, G. L., Laaksonen, T., Norrdahl, K., & Korpimäki, E. (2007) · Acta Oecologica · doi:10.1016/j.actao.2006.12.007 · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Kidawa, D., & Kowalczyk, R. (2011) · Acta Theriologica · doi:10.1007/s13364-011-0031-3 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
“Red fox feeds most frequently on small mammals, but utilize also other food items such as carrion, birds and other mammals when voles are scarce (Goszczyński 1974; Papageorgiou et al. 1988; Jędrzejewski and Jędrzejewska 1992; Dell’Arte et al. 2007).”
BackgroundFruit consumption by carnivores in Mediterranean Europe
Rosalino, L. M., & Santos‐Reis, M. (2008) · Mammal Review · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2907.2008.00134.x · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Variation in the diet of red foxes on Scottish moorland in relation to prey abundance
Leckie, F. M., Thirgood, S. J., May, R., & Redpath, S. M. (1998) · Ecography · doi:10.1111/j.1600-0587.1998.tb00552.x · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Feeding habits and trophic niche overlap in a Carnivora community of Hungary
Lanszki, J., Körmendi, S., Hancz, C., & Zalewski, A. (1999) · ACTA THERIOLOGICA · doi:10.4098/at.arch.99-41 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Lanszki, J., Zalewski, A., & Horváth, G. (2007) · Wildlife Biology · doi:10.2981/0909-6396(2007)13[258:corfvv]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Helminths of foxes and other wild carnivores from rural areas in Greece
Papadopoulos, H., Himonas, C., Papazahariadou, M. G., & Antoniadou‐Sotiriadou, K. (1997) · Journal of Helminthology · doi:10.1017/s0022149x00015960 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
The ecology of the red fox Vulpes vulpes in relation to small game in rural southern England
Reynolds, J. C., & Tapper, S. C. (1995) · Wildlife Biology · doi:10.2981/wlb.1995.0016 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Hartová-Nentvichová, M., Šálek, M., Červený, J., & Koubek, P. (2009) · Mammalian Biology · doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2009.09.003 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Capizzi, D., & Luiselli, L. M. (1996) · Revue d Écologie (La Terre et La Vie) · doi:10.3406/revec.1996.2209 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Corlett, R. T. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-66877-8_7 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Biases in the analysis of the diet of the red fox Vulpes vulpes
Cavallini, P., & Volpi, T. (1995) · Wildlife Biology · doi:10.2981/wlb.1995.0030 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Kontsiotis, V. J., Triantafyllidis, A., Telidis, S., Eleftheriadou, I., & Liordos, V. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su132011335 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“[12] found goat kids, lambs, calves, and piglets in red fox diet.”
BackgroundRouvinen, K. (1991) · Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica · doi:10.1080/00015129109439923 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Understanding stakeholder preferences for managing red foxes in different situations
Liordos, V., Kontsiotis, V. J., & Emmanouilidou, F. (2020) · Ecological Processes · doi:10.1186/s13717-020-00224-x · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Proulx, G., & Rodtka, D. (2015) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani5040397 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Kurek, P. (2015) · Mammalian Biology · doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2015.10.001 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Nutritional ecology of a prototypical generalist predator, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Balestrieri, A., Gigliotti, S., Caniglia, R., Velli, E., Zambuto, F., De Giorgi, E., Mucci, N., Tremolada, P., & Gazzola, A. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-58711-6 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Economic valuation of a mesocarnivore’s impact management
Kontsiotis, V. J., Emmanouilidou, F., & Liordos, V. (2024) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-024-33398-4 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Rouvinen, K., Inkinen, R. I., & Niemelä, P. (1991) · Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica · doi:10.1080/00015129109439922 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Frugivory and seed dispersal by carnivores in the Rhodopi mountains of northern Greece
Giannakos, P. (1997) · Durham e-Theses (Durham University) · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Germaın, D., Luciano, J., Milot, J.-F., & Faghfouri, A. (2022) · Geomorphology · doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108378 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Quyoom, I., Bhat, B. A., Najar, Z. H., & Malik, W. S. (2025) · European Journal of Wildlife Research · doi:10.1007/s10344-025-01985-6 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Muzi, H., Vallesi, A., Pennacchioni, G., Trenta, F., Ferretti, M., Ascentiis, A. D., & Gallizia, A. (2025) · Wild · doi:10.3390/wild2010001 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Les apports de l'archéozoologie à notre connaissance du Néolithique égéen
Cantuel, J. (2010) · doi:10.70675/616d5a6ez9c7fz46adzae97z6ef7617d1f99 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Larger mammals of Corfu, Ionian Islands, Greece � status and potential threats
Stille, M., Gasteratos, I., & Stille, B. (2021) · Russian Journal of Theriology · doi:10.15298/rusjtheriol.20.2.09
Ragadozó emlősök táplálkozási kapcsolatai
Lanszki, J. (2012) · Natura Somogyiensis · doi:10.24394/natsom.2012.21.2
- Authors
- Papageorgiou, N. K., Sepougaris, A., Christopoulou, O. G., Vlachos, C. G., & Petamidis, J. S.
- Affiliations
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (GR)
- Venue
- Acta Theriologica
- Publisher
- Mammal Research Institute
- Published
- 1988-10-15
- Volume
- 33
- Pages
- 313-324
- ISSN
- 0001-7051 (ISSN-L)
- 2190-3743
- OpenAlex
- W2079636781
- Cited by
- 30
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 1.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- ACTA THERIOLOGICA (publishedVersion)
- RCIN (Digital Repository of the Scientifics Institutes) (Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Keywords
- red fox, diet, stomach contents, prey remains, opportunistic feeding, seasonal variation, regional variation, rodents, domestic mammals, apple, chickens, Greece
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
